Dreams Do Come True
by MLEther
Summary: Five years since the curse broke, Emma, Regina, and Henry meet for dinner once a week- one night Emma and Regina realize their friendly relationship may be more than either had anticipated. Meant to be light-hearted with lots of fluffy fluffs. A good fic to read after finishing one of those great, heart wrenching, dramatic SQ tomes. Sit back and enjoy these two twitterpated ladies.
1. Chapter 1: An Idea

The dreams began merely as flashes. A kaleidoscope of vague images, patterns, and rhythms contorting and stretching into indecipherable scribbles pulsating her temples. Every night she fell asleep with the hopes of reprieve only to be bombarded by garbled messages and twisted figures. She'd wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, hands shaking, head throbbing. She'd hang over the sink in her bathroom breathing deeply- counting the hours until she had to arrive at work. Stumbling back to bed she would lay awake trying to avoid returning to that strange dreamworld by meditating on colors, textures, and situations that had brought her comfort in the past. The feeling of digging her hand in a bag of flour, the salty sea breeze on a cool morning, apple harvest, the sight of her son stumbling half-awake into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from his eyes. She wouldn't even realize she had fallen asleep until her alarm screeched her awake at 6.01 a.m.

Regina awoke twisted in her sheets. Pressing her alarm shut, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Monday. It's her week to have Henry. Emma's coming over for dinner as she has every Monday for the last 5 years. Lasagna? No, that was last Monday. Chicken. Yeah, something with chicken. She untangled herself from her bedsheets attempting unwrap her bizarre dreams with each tug of the fabric. That dream belongs in her bed, she can't allow herself to dwell on it each night she has it or else she wouldn't get anything done.

After the curse broke, she remained Mayor simply because nobody else wanted the job- she had Emma to thank for that. A mob had gathered at her house almost daily for 3 months once everyone's memories were restored. Each time she heard the riotous voices storming up her driveway, she would wait in her kitchen with the lights off holding Henry's pillow to her chest. With every riot came Emma. Emma. She would break through the crowd and stand on Regina's porch facing the mob trying to calm them down. Often her words were enough, other times she had no other choice but to sit down in front of the door perched like a wild animal ready to defend with everything she had. Regina knew she didn't do it for her, but for Henry.

Once when the mob voices had died down and she heard everyone walking away, anger purged, she pulled her curtains back to find Emma still squatting on the porch with her back against the door- gun in hand. Figuring she was waiting in case any one in the former mob decided to come back and cause trouble, Regina went about her business of finishing up paperwork and tidying up the house. After several hours she peeked through her window to find Emma still perched in front of her door.

"Miss Swan?" Emma fell backwards onto Regina's marble floor. Looking up she saw the former Mayor looking down at her- eyebrow raised.

"R-regina, hey. Sorry about that, I must have fallen asleep."

"Indeed."

"Well, I'll just uh- I'll just be on my way." Emma stood up brushing off her jeans, holstering her gun, and with a quick smile turned to leave.

"Miss Swan."

"Yeah."

"Thank you." Emma saw the changes to Regina's face since the last time they saw each other face-to-face just after the curse broke. She had deep, dark circles under her eyes, cheeks sunken, she seemed paler than usual. Emma felt a twinge of pity for the woman before remembering her attempt to kill her with a poisoned apple turnover.

"Sure." She managed to spit out. "For Henry, you know."

"Henry." Regina's eyes teared up for a moment, but quickly sucked them in not wanting _this_ woman see her remorse. "H-how is he?" She managed to sputter out.

"Fine.," she clicked the heel of her boots together, "Still trying to process everything, you know."

"Yes. I imagine so."

The two women stood facing each other wanting to continue the conversation, but not knowing exactly what to say.

"Do you think Henry would want to come over for dinner one night?"

"I, uh, I don't know I'll have to ask him."

"How about Monday?" said Regina trying to make her words sound more passive than desperate.

"Yeah, um, I'll see what he thinks and I'll let you know." Regina nodded her head as yet another awkward silence passed between the two women. Emma gave another half smile before turning on her heel and walking away. The next Monday, Henry showed up for dinner insisting that Emma came to. Regina reluctantly agreed, and only did so out of sheer elation that her son wanted to spend time with her- even if it was shared. With each passing Monday, the dinners between the three people became less awkward and more familiar. Emma was able to act as a mediator between Regina and the rest of the town in terms of political, social, and emotional business. After a couple months, the town's anger subsided and moved on agreeing to give Regina her job back on the condition that the small council from the Enchanted Forest be reinstated and become a permanent governmental fixture. Nobody wanted to bother with the paperwork, and Regina was more than happy to fill in the gap as long as she had something to occupy her time and still feel like she had some hand in town affairs.

Living a solitary life impacted Regina in what society would deem as a more constructive manner. By no means was she more social, but she was less abrasive and intrusive. Monday became her favorite day. She and Emma became more friendly, their conversations carrying long past midnight sipping wine on the back porch of Regina's mansion. It was around this time that Regina began to have midnight rendezvous with her unsettling abstract dreams.

As evening fell upon the town, Henry and Emma promptly knocked on the mansion door. Regina opened it and took her now tall, lanky son into her arms and shook Emma's hand.

"Dinner's almost ready, make yourselves at home, dears." Regina rushed back to the kitchen her heels clacking across the floor. Henry and Emma exchanged goofy grins at the sound- it became somewhat of an inside joke between them. They could always gage Regina's mood on the sound and pace of her heels as they moved across the floor. The quick, skittish sound indicated her excitement making Henry and Emma smile knowing that they are in for a good evening. After dinner, Henry kissed both mothers on the head and sauntered up to his room to unpack for the week- leaving his mothers on the back porch uncorking their Monday wine.

Halfway through the bottle of wine, Emma and Regina found themselves laughing hysterically over a story about Archie's recent "Save the Crickets" campaign in which he dressed up in a cricket costume and bombarded people with green flyers stuttering for his cause with a passion only a cricket could muster. When the laughter died down, Emma sighed and said, "Man, he's really gotta find something else to occupy his time. I think he's been bored ever since his number one clients didn't have a need to see him." Regina chuckled knowing Emma was referring to all the members of the twisted family tree of Storybrooke.

"I just can't believe how much he's grown." Sighed Regina.

"Who, Archie?"

"No," she laughed, "Henry."

"Oh I know, it's getting to be a bitch cleaning his shaved whiskers out of the sink every morning."

"He leaves them in the _sink_?" Regina said disgusted. "Oh he wouldn't _dare_ do that here."

"Ha, no he most definitely knows better than to mess with big mama over here." Said Emma as she jokingly punched Regina in the shoulder. "You did real good, Regina."

"Hmmm?"

"Raising Henry. You did a real good job. Sometimes I find myself being so grateful that of all the places he could have ended up as a baby that he landed in your arms. You really did such an amazing a job. A much better job than I ever could have. Thank you."

Regina looked at Emma, taking in every word- filing it to memory. "But you still regret giving him up for adoption?"

"Regret isn't exactly the word I would use in this situation because you know as well as I do that this is an unusual circumstance. I would have liked to have been there for his first step, his first cut, his first anything- but I'm just saying that I don't know if I could have raised a better son. If only there was a way both of us could have raised him. I think we'd make a great pair."

Regina sat back and watched Emma sip her wine. A great pair. That was a thought that had never crossed her mind, but somehow it seemed right. And now she couldn't seem to get the images of what could have been from her mind. Emma gulped down the rest of her glass and stretched out her limbs.

"A'ight, it's time I get going. The Dwarves are having some crazy surprise party for Bashful tonight, and I don't see that going over very well. Gotta go analyze the situation and make sure Bashful doesn't have a heart attack. Thanks for dinner, see you next Monday?"

Regina remained sitting staring at the chair Emma was just sitting in.

"Regina?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, until next Monday." Regina shook her thoughts, stood up and walked Emma to the door. After saying goodnight, Regina watched the blonde saunter off down the path much with the same wobbly swagger Henry has developed in his maturity. She closed the door, holding her hand to her head. A great pair. Now there's a thought.

As Emma drove to Granny's, her thoughts slipped from thinking of possible emergency procedures for the soon-to-be horrified Bashful to thoughts of Regina. "Great pair, did I really say that?" she thought. But as she mulled it over, she started thinking about Regina in ways she hadn't really allowed herself to ponder. There was a strange twinge in her gut that felt oddly like longing, but she shook it off as she looked ahead and saw Happy and a swarm of party-goers fanning an unconscious Bashful hanging outside the front entrance of Granny's.

That night, the kaleidoscope visions twisted around Regina's head, but just as it got chaotic, one of the shapes took form to a scene of Regina and Emma embracing warmly holding a small, smiling baby. Regina shot straight out of bed drenched in sweat. She wiped her forehead. "Oh no."


	2. Chapter 2: Uh Oh

Regina splashed cold water on her face trying to wipe the dream away. A small knot appeared in her stomach as she continued to think about how warm she had felt in that brief vision. It felt so right, like it was meant to be- No. No this can't happen. But maybe, just maybe- no. It's impossible, there's no way Emma could feel the same way… what way? What am I even thinking? This is ridiculous. Regina laughed out loud at the absurdity of her thoughts. She looked into the mirror, "You are Regina Mills. Strong, intelligent, independent. It was just a dream." A good dream, she thought as she lied to herself out loud. Rubbing her eyes she said, "Okay. Breakfast. Focus."

Across town Emma Swan sat straight up in bed. "What the hell was that?" Placing her head in her hands, she recounted the bizarre dream she just had. Stumbling out of bed and into the bathroom she looked at herself in the mirror. "Okay, Swan. Pull your shit together. I don't know what the hell that was, but we gotta just not think about it because whatever the hell that was isn't possible." But maybe, just maybe- nope, nope, nope- not possible. Her stomach felt like it was sinking lower into her body. That dream felt so right. But, Regina? A baby? Us? She laughed a nervous giggle and quickly cupped her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god." She thought as a small smile spread across her face.

Regina sat in her office staring into space. She had been at work for 3 hours and hadn't touched one slip of paperwork. "That's it," she said angrily, "I just need to go for a walk to clear my head." She stood up, grabbed her coat and walked out the door with no idea where she would go. She walked along Main Street staring at the pavement trying to shake the dream from her head. No, no, no. This is absurd. It was only a dream. Just a dream, it didn't mean anything- not at all, just some strange subconscious manifestation that's being projected onto a completely random person who just so happens to be… "Ow." She ran head first into someone else. She looked up and felt her breath catch.

"Miss Swan." Emma looked up mirroring Regina's face as she rubbed her head.

"M-Madam Mayor." Emma stuttered breathless. "S-sorry I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, no it was my fault- I was caught up in my thoughts and wasn't watching where I was walking."

The two women stood staring at each other, knots growing in their stomachs. Both wanted to run away as fast as they could, but something held them in place.

"How was the party for Bashful?" Regina said taking on a semi-interested Mayoral tone.

"Fine, fine. He passed out when everyone shouted, 'Surprise!' and a couple more times throughout the evening. Kinda funny." She let out a nervous giggle as Regina nodded her head and smirked.

"So, Miss Swan, are you on official Sheriff business?"

"Uh, no. I uh, was just walking around, you know, stretching my legs. Had to clear my head. You out on official Mayor business?"

"No, I too was just, stretching my legs."

The two women stood staring at each other in silence. They had never been this awkward in all the time they've known each other. There was always something to fight about or in more recent times laugh about, but at this moment they were both standing in utter silence unknowingly thinking about the same thing.

"Well, I had better get going. I have a lot to do and very little time to do it before Henry gets out of school."

"Yeah, yeah, right. Lots of Mayor stuff like I have lots of Sheriff stuff." Emma coughed, "Well, uh, see you around."

"Indeed." Regina nodded her head, "Good day, Miss Swan."

"Madam Mayor." After a couple more beats just staring at each other, the two women awkwardly rushed around each other and walked briskly in opposite directions. Regina rushed into Granny's for a sobering cup of thick coffee as Emma flew into another building. Crashing through the door, she saw just whom she needed at his desk reading a book on nocturnal insects.

"Archie, we gotta talk."

"Emma, yeah, of course take a seat."

Regina sat at the counter at Granny's waiting for her coffee. Granny slid by placing the cup in front of her. "You okay, Madam Mayor?" She said as she looked at Regina over her glasses. Regina hadn't noticed that her hands were shaking. She hated those piercing eyes staring knowingly at her.

"I'm fine!" she said in an unnecessarily abrasive tone, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Granny lifted her eyebrows and sighed, "You just seem a bit off, just asking." She pulled a rag from behind the counter and started cleaning mugs subtly eyeing Regina as she sat without even touching her coffee. An hour passed, words unsaid, coffee not touched. "You wanna take a fresh cup to-go?" Regina jolted out of her thoughts, "Um, yes I think I'd better." Granny placed a fresh cup on the counter not taking her eyes off Regina as she stood up and walked to the front door. Just before she opened the door, Emma Swan burst through causing them to collide once again. "Sorry, oh, sorry Madam Mayor."

"No, no my fault." Regina rushed out of the diner as Emma stumbled to the counter.

"Good lord." Granny heaved rolling her eyes and putting the pieces together in her mind.

"What?" said Emma innocently.

"You're an idiot."

"What?"

"You both are."

Emma looked at her with her mouth open. Is it that obvious?


	3. Chapter 3: Flowers

Regina rushed back to her office slamming the door behind her. She stood against the door holding her stomach, it felt like it would fall right to the floor. She was never one for asking for help, but whatever is going on in her head is getting out of hand. She has to talk to someone. She walked to her phone and dialed a number she had come to memorize over years of use.

"Dr. Hopper, how may I assist you?"

-Silence-

"Hello? Is someone there?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Madam Mayor, hello. How are you?"

-Silence-

"Madam Mayor?"

-Silence-

"Would you like to make an appointment?"

"Yes."

"Great. When are you available?"

-Silence-

Regina couldn't believe that she couldn't do a simple task like making an appointment. She wasn't sure if she really wanted anyone to know what was going on, but she had to talk to someone else because her mind couldn't settle anything at the moment.

"I have some free time in a couple minutes if you'd like to drop by. Does that sound doable, Madam Mayor?"

"Yes."

"Great. See you in a few."

Regina slammed the phone shut and fell into her chair running her fingers along her temples. Archie hung his phone up and sat back in his chair looking over at Pongo.

"First Emma, now Regina. Looks like we're back in business, boy." He said with a grin.

Less than ten minutes later, Archie's door flew up and Regina stormed in, "Let's get this over with." Said Regina as she walked straight to the familiar couch. Archie grinned as he closed the door and grabbed his note pad. He pushed his glasses up and sat down in the chair opposite Regina.

"How are you, Regina?"

"How am I? HOW AM I? How am I…"

Silence fell on the room. On the way over to Archie's office she had a whole monologue prepared. She was going to just spurt it out and let the pieces fall how they may, but now that she was suddenly faced with having to talk about what was going on, she found herself speechless.

"Is everything with Henry fine?" Dr. Hopper said knowing it would ease Regina into talking.

"Yes. He's great. More than great, he's happy."

"And are you happy?"

Regina shot him a glare. He knows. I don't know how he knows, but he knows. She swallowed and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She wished Archie would just shake it out of her, but she knew his methods and his patience. Curse him. Oh wait, I already did. She laughed to herself, but was suddenly overcome with nerves. Archie clicked his pen and sat patiently looking at Regina. He thought about how Emma stormed into his office ready to spew her heart out only to fall back to the exact same silence and hesitation Regina was currently exhibiting. She eventually came around and told the entire scenario as she paced around the room flailing her arms and muttering gibberish. Archie knew that Regina's version would be a lot less dramatic and more vague, but he knew exactly what was coming.

"I've… I've been having dreams." Regina finally said picking under her fingernails.

"What kind of dreams?" Said Archie calmly.

"Dreams that require a complicated amount of description." Archie sat back allowing the silence to encourage Regina to speak.

"They started a while ago. Just as abstract images moving at a rapid pace- I was unable to make out what they were. At the beginning they were frustrating and I was able to avoid thinking about them, but now something's changed." She glanced over at Archie, he sat with his pen and notepad staring at her- waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath.

"I had a vision of myself and… someone else holding a baby."

"And how did that make you feel?" Said Archie chuckling inwardly at how similar his session had been with Emma earlier that day.

"It… it was wonderful. It was so warm and I could just feel…"

"Yes?"

"Well, love. I could feel it. It was so real. And it's scaring me." Archie looked up from his notepad in surprise. In all of their sessions he had never once heard Regina admit fear. She sat on the couch covering her face.

"Are you afraid of how you felt in the dream or that you were feeling love with and for someone else?"

"Both." Regina uncovered her face. Tears swelled into her eyes. "I'm afraid because I don't deserve to feel that way. I'm afraid because I think I've always felt this love in my heart and I've never addressed it, and I'm afraid that what I feel can't be reciprocated because how is that possible? How can it be possible for Emma to love me back?" Regina put her hand over her mouth. She said Emma's name. Archie smiled and looked at his watch, It had taken Emma just 1 minute less to say Regina's name and start freaking out that she had said it out loud. Regina buried her head in her hands.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Regina. Love is a natural emotion that can happen to anyone, even those with the darkest past. Don't believe that you don't deserve love. Everyone deserves love, it's a basic human right, and in some cases it is the best medicine." Regina pulled her head from her hands taking a large breath through her nose and regaining her composure. 

"After everything I have done to you personally, how can you say that I deserve love?" Archie sighed and sat up in his chair.

"I was angry with you once, but after a lot of time thinking about the Evil Queen, the curse, and everything else- I realized that your driving force is love." Regina scoffed, but Archie continued, "Whether you realize it or not, your life is driven by your capacity to love. You loved someone so strongly you were willing to exact the darkest acts of revenge in their memory, you loved Henry so much you were willing to sacrifice your soul to darkness in order to make him happy, and now you love someone so fiercely that you are here talking to me. Sit back and let love guide you."

"Are you saying that I should allow my 'love' to drive everyone away from me and hurt those closest to me like I've done my whole life? Because that hasn't exactly worked for me or anyone else."

"No. What I'm saying is that you've changed. Whether you realize it or not, you have changed significantly and this situation is somewhat different from things that have previously transpired. I feel that this kind of love is so pure that if you allow it into your life, it will produce nothing but positive results." Archie bit his tongue trying to subtly hint that Emma had confessed her love for Regina to him only a little while ago in this very office.

"I don't think I can do this." Regina admitted with a dry voice.

"You can, Regina. You are a strong, intelligent, kind person who has so much to offer others. Tell her how you feel." Regina looked up into Archie's eyes. She saw the truth that lay behind them and let his words sink in.

"I think we're done here." She said standing up.

"Feel free to come by anytime." Said Archie with a friendly grin.

"Oh I wouldn't want to interrupt…" Regina glanced at his moth collection, "… your work." And with a smirk she exited the room leaving Archie feeling optimistic.

Tell Emma. Who the hell does he think he is? I can't just TELL her. It's not that simple. After everything I've put her through, there's no way she could feel the same way. If this goes wrong it will throw off all the improvement we've made, especially with Henry. But what if… no. I don't think I could handle rejection… not from her.

Emma sat in her chair in the Sheriff's office throwing balls of paperwork into a trashcan. I can't just TELL Regina. Why would Archie suggest something like that? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He doesn't know what he's talking about. I've been such a huge bitch to her in the past, why would she even consider me? If I tell her how I feel, it could ruin everything. Things with Henry would be so awkward. But if she did feel the same way… things would be so… no, I don't think I even want to take the chance. What if she rejected me? I don't think I could handle that.

"I'll leave her a gift." Thought both Emma and Regina at the same time.

"Hey, Emma!" Said Belle as she watched the Sheriff come into her flower shop.

"Hey, Belle. I need your help."

"Alright, shoot."

"I need a flower."

"Just one?"

"Yeah."

"For who?"

"Uh…. Regina." Belle raised her eyebrows.

"Regina? Is she sick or something?"

"Yes, no, I mean… I just think, you know, since we share the same son it would be a nice gesture." Belle looked at her unconvinced, but business is business.

"What kind of flower do you think she would like?" said Belle ushering Emma to a wall of flowers. Emma looked over the selection, all the flowers were so bright and chipper, none that she thought Regina would like, until she saw a rose.

"How about a red rose?"

Belle looked over at the roses and back to Emma, "You don't think that's a bit suggestively romantic?"

"Romantic? Oh god, um no. No way it's not supposed to be romantic or anything, you know." By this point, Belle's eyebrows were so far up her forehead they sunk into her hair. Emma stuttered on, "They're red. Regina likes red. She's a traditional gal. I think she'll get it."

Belle sighed, "Okay. One red rose."

A few minutes after Emma left, Belle was in the back room when she heard the shop bell ring. "I'll be out in a minute!" she said as she scooted around stacks of vase boxes trying not to knock any to the ground. She came out to the front and her jaw dropped. "Madam Mayor?"

"Hello." Said Regina wringing her hands together. "Want to pull yourself together and help your customer?" Belle gulped and looked around the shop and out the window. "What are you looking for, dear?" Belle hopped back.

"Nothing, um nothing. What can I help you with?"

"I need a flower."

"Just one?" Belle continued shifting her eyes around the shop suspecting this to be some kind of prank.

"Yes, is that going to be an issue?" Said Regina glaring at the woman who was acting funnier than usual.

"No, no not at all. Who's the flower for?"

"That, dear, is none of your business. I just need something bright and colorful." Belle took a deep breath, scanned her eyes out the window one last time before taking Regina to the wall of flowers. The Mayor scanned the wall with an eyebrow raised, half concentrating on finding the right flower, half internally mocking the selection. Her eyes fell on a large sunflower. "That one." She said pointing toward the sunflower. "She'll like that one."

"Who will?" Belle asked curiously. Regina immediately realized what she had said.

"No one." She puffed up, "None of your business." The Mayor purchased her flower and stocked out the door. Belle watched her go and sat waiting for whoever was pranking her to make themselves known, but nobody came. "Oh my god." She said as she smiled widely reaching for her phone to call Ruby. "I don't believe it."

After placing the sunflower on Emma's door, Regina hopped in her car making her getaway. "That's a start." She thought as she gripped the wheel. She was feeling a strange mix of nerves and joy when she saw a yellow VW Bug pass her coming from the opposite direction. As they passed each other, they locked eyes- mouth open, and nearly veered off the road. "Holy shit!" said Emma steadying her car. "She almost caught me." She thought as she was making her escape after placing the rose on Regina's door.

Emma opened the door to the loft, "Snow, I'm home!" she called. Snow came roaring around the corner, a huge smile on her face.

"Whoa, what's up with you?"

"Someone left you something." She smiled. "At first I thought it was Charming leaving it for me, but he usually gives me Snowbells. So it must be for you." She pulled a large, bright sunflower from her behind her back. Emma's heart dropped to her gut.

Regina opened the door to her mansion, "Henry, I'm home!" She walked over to the kitchen to find her son sitting at the table grinning at her.

"What?" She said eyeing him suspiciously.

"Someone left you something." He said maintaining a goofy grin all to similar to Emma's. He pulled out a deep red rose from under the table. Regina's heart dropped to her stomach.


	4. Chapter 4: Candy

Images swirled around without pause forming into a dizzying cyclone of uninterpretable shapes. They sped faster and faster and faster until clashing together producing an image of a blonde and a brunette dressed in white smiling wildly at each other, tears falling from their eyes.

Emma flew out of bed hitting the floor. "Jeeeesus." She moaned as she rubbed her head. Then it hit her. The dream. Regina. She shakily stood up and walked to the bathroom. Standing over the sink she looked at herself in the mirror. The blonde looking back at her seemed tired, upset, and confused- but the blonde in the dream was radiant, alive, and happy. "Why is this all happening now?" She said to herself. Five years of friendship with Regina, and now she's getting all of these crazy romantic thoughts. Her eyes drifted to her bed where next to her pillow lay the sunflower she fell asleep looking at. Did Regina give her that flower? Did Belle do or say something? What if- what if it was Regina? What if Regina had the same thought she did? She wiped her face, "Nope," she said out loud, "there's no way that's possible."

Regina sat straight up in bed. "So happy." She whispered to herself thinking about the dream she just had. Looking down at her hand she realized she was still clutching the rose Henry found on her door the night before. Was this really from Emma? Did she see her in Belle's shop and decide to play a joke on her? Or… no it's impossible. There's no way Emma would think to give her a flower with the same intentions. Evil Queens don't receive affectionate gifts. Especially not from a _Charming._ But what if… no, it's absurd to think that way. It's impossible.

Snow looked up from her tea watching Emma stumble into the room half-dazed.

"Morning, Sweetie. Coffee's on the stove."

"Thanks." Emma mumbled, her mind still reeling with thoughts of the dreams she'd been having. Snow lifted her eyebrow as she watched Emma's face contort with all the thoughts running around her head.

"So, are you going to tell me who the Sunflower was from?"

"Huh? What? Oh, um… no. Cause I honestly have no idea." Snow pursed her lips into a curious smile.

"Oh REALLY? You have no idea?"

"No!" Emma's fingers fumbled with the mug causing coffee to splash around the counter. "And I really haven't given any thought to it. I'm the Sheriff, you know, it's probably just a thank you from somebody or whatever. I don't have time for that stuff anyhow. I gotta get to the station." She stood up, grabbed her keys, and headed for the door.

"Have a nice day!" Snow shouted after her, smirking at the sunflower hanging out of Emma's back pocket.

"Hey, mom!" Henry said excitedly as he watched his mother stroll into the kitchen. "I made coffee."

"What on earth are you doing up so early?" Said Regina as she poured coffee into her mug.

"Oh, you know, math final… couldn't really sleep. Anyway, are you going to tell me who that rose was from?" the coffee pot slipped from Regina's fingers causing it to spill all over the counter. She cleared her throat as she grabbed a towel and soaked up the coffee thinking of what to say.

"Oh I don't know." Henry raised his eyebrows as he watched his mom fidget with the towel.

"Really? No clue?" Regina straightened up washing her hands.

"To be quite honest with you, sweetie, I haven't really given it much thought. It was probably some kind of farce."

"Oh come on, mom, nobody would do that to you. Someone _likes_ you and you can't handle it. Come on, tell me."

"Henry, listen to me. I'm not the most well-liked person in this town. Nobody would make that kind of gesture."

"Mom, listen to me," Regina perked up at the authority in his voice, "I know things were really, really bad a few years back, but things are different now. You're different now. People don't hate you anymore. In fact, _someone_ in this town likes you enough to leave a rose on your door." Regina looked across the counter at her son, his face covered in stubble, when did he grow up?

"Thank you, Henry- but I honestly don't want to put too much stock in a rose, besides I already through it away." She straightened up and suddenly changed her tone to her usual mayoral voice, "I think I'm going to get to the office early today, I have a lot of catching up to do." She bent down and kissed her son on his forehead and smoothed down his hair. "Good luck on your test, sweetheart. Think about what you'd like to eat tonight and let me know so I can go shopping."

"Thanks, mom." Henry said as he watched her leave. She picked up her purse and Henry caught a glimpse of a red rose sticking out of her purse.

"Have a nice day!" He called after her, grinning.

Emma sat in her office twirling her fingers around her Sunflower. She couldn't get her dreams out of her head, and to be more honest she couldn't get _Regina_ out of her mind. Her dark eyes, her dark hair, smooth skin, the way she would patiently wait for Emma to struggle uncorking the Monday wine bottle before swiping it away with a smirk and opening it with ease. She's so funny, and smart, and sexy… I gotta do something for her. Emma stood up resolved to get her another present. This time she'll be quieter about it, not telling anyone what or who it is for… that way she'll know if she's being played. But what could I get her? She likes chocolate, dark chocolate. That's it. She stomped out the door on a mission.

Regina sat in her office staring at her untouched paperwork, the rose laying on her desk where she could see it just out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't get her dreams out of her head, and to be more honest she couldn't get _Emma _out of her mind. Her brilliant eyes, golden hair, slightly scarred yet smooth skin, the way she would fidget with a corkscrew like she'd only been drinking boxed wine for her entire adult wife. Wife? "Shit," she thought, "I mean… life." She's so kind, and hilarious, and gorgeous… I should give her something else. Regina stood up from her desk glancing down at her rose. She knew the notion of getting yet another present for Emma is childish and silly, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to make her happy, like in her dream- though not entirely like that. Even if Emma never knew it was from her, she would at least be happy. But what could I get her? She likes coconuts, macaroons maybe? That's it. She grabbed her coat and stomped out the door on a mission.

Emma ran to the candy store and bought a long, elegant box of dark chocolate. Sliding it under her jacket as she slid out the door she eyed the street suspiciously until she realized no one was watching. She quickly lept into her car and drove off to the mayor's office. She'd leave it just outside the door and run away.

Regina waltzed into the candy store and bought a large bag of macaroons. Tucking them quickly into her purse she decided to drop them off at the Sheriff's station so that Snow and her big mouth wouldn't think they were for her and gobble them up before Emma got a chance to see them. As she pulled up to the Sheriff's station, she noticed Emma's VW Bug wasn't in the Sheriff's parking spot. She took advantage of this absence and ran into the station placing the bag of macaroons on Emma's desk, slightly adjusting it three or four times before bolting back out and into her car.

As she was making her, supposedly, clean getaway- it happened again. She and Emma crossed paths locking eyes, mouths agape, and almost veering off the road. As she repositioned her car, Regina breathed heavily trying to get her heart back to a normal pace. Emma pounded her fist on the steering wheel, "Stupid, stupid, stupid…" she thought, "Why can't I just act fucking NORMAL around this woman?!"

Regina screeched to a halt in the parking lot of her office and ran through the door and up the stairs. She just needed to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe, a place where there is no hint of Emma Swa-. Her thought stopped dead as her eyes slid down to a box on the floor in front of her office. She picked it up gently and read the label. "Dark chocolate," she whispered. She looked around the silent, empty hallway. "Oh my god."

Emma slammed on her brakes a little too late and crashed into the fence surrounding the Sheriff's station. She had been such a rush to get back that she hadn't noticed how fast she was pulling into the parking lot. "God-DAMN it!" She screamed as she backed up and repositioned her car. Man that woman is driving me absolutely wild, I just need to get back to my desk and bury myself in work where there's no Regina Mi-. Her thought stopped dead as her eyes slid down to a bag on her desk. She picked it up fiercely with both hands examining the contents. "Macaroons," she whispered. She looked out of her office into the empty station. "Oh my god."


	5. Chapter 5: Security Cameras

Emma's knees shook as she stood holding the bag of macaroons. She turned on her heel and sprinted to Archie's office. Bursting through the door she screamed, "ARCHIE I NEED YOUR HELP!" but just as the last word left her lips she saw she wasn't alone with Dr. Hopper. Regina was sitting on the couch holding the box of chocolate Emma had just left for her. She remained standing in the doorway absolutely paralyzed.

"Regina." She whispered. Her eyes fell to the box of chocolates Regina was nervously digging her nails into. She flicked her eyes back up at Regina who was mirroring her expression of shock and horror. The two women stared at each other as Archie shifted his glance between them.

Readjusting his glasses he turned to Emma, "Why don't you come in?"

Emma just shook her head. "Nuh uh, I uh… sorry."

Regina blinked and stood up straightening her back, "I should be going anyway." She strode around the Sheriff and out the door. After leaving the office and managing to make it to her car, she leaned against the door breathing heavily. That was close.

"God-DAMN it why don't I ever KNOCK?!" Emma screamed flinging herself onto the couch and then standing up and pacing, sitting down, standing up, pacing, sitting down again. "I'm such a failure." She put her head between her knees.

Archie looked down at her smiling. "Why don't we talk about it."

Emma replied without moving her head from between her knees, "Talk about what?"

"Well, you did just barge into my office saying you needed my help. What can I help you with?"

Emma raised her head and leaned back on the couch letting out a big sigh. "She makes me feel like a teenager."

"Who does?"

Emma cocked an eyebrow as she opened the bag of macaroons and shoved one in her mouth, "Who do you think?"

"The mayor?" Emma responded by throwing both hands up in the air and then shoving another macaroon in her mouth. Archie gave a quick smirk to himself and repositioned himself in his chair. "Emma," he said, "May I be frank with you?"

"Sure. Whatever." Emma stuffs another macaroon in her face.

"I think you're in love… with… Regina."

"You don't say."

"Well, I think since I know this, and you know this, you should act on it. " Emma swallowed a whole macaroon.

"Did she say something to you?"

"Who?"

"Regina." Emma lept off the couch squeezing her hands on Archie's shoulders. "Did she say something to you just now?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. Doctor-patient conf-"

"Confidentiality blah, blah blah." Emma waved with her hand as she stood up grabbing her half empty bag of macaroons and started pacing. "So you think I should ask her out?"

"What do _you_ think you should do?" Emma started shoving macaroons in her mouth.

"What if she doesn't want to go out with me? What if she says no? WHAT IF SHE SAYS YES?" She screamed frantically circling the room.

Regina sat in her office nibbling on her new chocolates. It had to have been Emma who left the rose _and_ the chocolate. Realizing that fact made the situation all the more terrifying. Then she remembered, she has security cameras outside her office doors. She slid to her computer accessing the memory and rewinding a couple hours. There. There she is. She watched Emma tip toe into the hallway and approach the doors. She put the box of chocolate on the door handle, it fell, tried again, it fell, then placed it against the door and repositioned it a couple more times before slowly backing up and running around the corner. A couple seconds later she poked her head around the corner to make sure it was still there and disappeared. The mayor smiled and rewound the footage again, and again, and again. She didn't even notice the tears falling down her cheeks as she smiled widely.

Emma opened the door to the loft to find her parents cooking dinner.

"Hey, Em! You hungry?" said Snow turning around to reveal an apron covered in cartoon images of puppies.

"Nah, long day. Already ate, thanks."

David turned around wearing a matching apron, "You sure? We're also having macaroons for dessert." Emma stopped dead in her tracks holding her stomach.

"Oh, yeah… no definitely not. I think I'm just gonna hit the hay."

David watched her closely as she went to her room and shut the door. Right when he heard the lock click he turned to his wife and whispered, "I have to tell you something about Emma."

"OH! Is it about the Sunflower, pleeeeeease tell me it's about the Sunflower. I've been dying to know who it's from."

"I think dying is exactly what you might do." Snow put her hands on her hips and looked at David intensely.

"Charming… what do you know?"

David lowered his voice, "I'm going to tell you, but you have to keep calm."

"Okay."

"Snow, promise."

"I promise, I promise… now what is it?"

David collected all his courage, "Regina."

"Regina… _what_?" Snow's voice raised a little.

"Look, I haven't even fully processed it yet, and I'm still in shock but…"

"_But_…?" Snow's voice got a little higher.

Charming gulped, "Regina is responsible for the flower."

"_WHAT?!"_

"Shhhh shhh, Snow keep it down."

"What do you mean that _she's _responsible for the flower? Did she poison it? Is that why Emma's so tired? What did she do to it?" There was a loud bump from Emma's room.

"Snow, let's take this outside."

"Yeah, I think we'd better." She eyed Emma's door and followed her husband into the hall.

"Now, David. Explain yourself."

"I'd been getting a lot of complaints around town that over the last couple days Emma hasn't been responding to their calls, so I went to the station to see if she was okay and I saw Regina leaving. She was practically running to her car and sped off. So I decided to follow her, but she was driving too fast and I couldn't pull her over because I wasn't on duty, but anyway I just decided to go back to the station. When I was pulling up I saw Emma sprinting out of the station, I called after her but she didn't respond. I ran into the station to find it completely empty. I decided to check the security footage and found that Regina had snuck into the office while Emma was gone and put a bag of macaroons on her desk." Snow's eyes narrowed.

"This doesn't explain the flower."

"I'm getting to that." David braced himself for the rest of the story, "I thought it might be poisoned macaroons or something and since they weren't in the office, I figured Emma had them so I took off after her. I couldn't find her anywhere around town and she wouldn't answer her phone. Then I thought of the Sunflower, maybe that was from Regina too and she did something to it. I went to Belle's and she told me that _both_ Emma and Regina bought a single flower just minutes apart from each other. She also said that Emma told her specifically that she was giving a rose to Regina, but Regina wouldn't tell her who the Sunflower was for- but, I guess, we know that." Snow put her hand to her mouth and stood in silence looking at the floor.

"This doesn't prove anything." She finally said in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"

"What does all of this even mean?"

"I think you know what it means, Snow."

"I know what my mind is telling me what exchanging flowers means, but I refuse to believe it."

"I know. I also found a receipt for dark chocolate in Emma's office after I left Belle's."

"Dark chocolate? Nobody in our family likes dark chocolate, the only person I know who does is…"

"Regina."

"Regina." Snow repeated. "_Regina!"_


	6. Chapter 6: Letters

Images, patterns, shapes, and colors whirled around and around at a nauseating speed until with a flash- everything went dark. Two clear voices whispered in the darkness:

"_I'll never leave you."_

"_I know."_

"_I love you."_

"_I love you."_

Regina sat straight up in bed, tears running down her face. For the last few days her dreams consisted of absolute nothingness. It was almost as if she didn't sleep at all, until now. The words spoken in her dream touched her more deeply than any of the previous scenes she had dreamed. Perhaps it was the simplicity, the genuine compassion felt behind the words that moved her to tears. She had tried to avoid Emma by burying herself in work and spending time with Henry, but visions of the Sheriff always seemed to slip into her mind. Henry made a few attempts to bring up the rose and his mother's odd behavior, but every time he tried- she would tighten up, her eyes growing dark as if she were trying to bury a painful memory. He eventually surrendered to let his mother figure things out for herself. But today is Monday. And there is no avoiding the dreams, the memories, and Emma.

Emma's eyes shot open. Her legs tucked to her chin, her left hand wiping away a tear while the other fiercely clutches a ragged Sunflower. That was the first dream she had in days. After her last conversation with Archie, her nerves built up in her to the extent that she began to doubt anything and everything that had transpired over the previous week. She rationalized and lied to herself. But that dream. That dream was _so_ real, _so _loving, _so _sincere. She slid out of bed quickly dressing and sneaking out the door. She tried to spend as much time away from home as possible due to her parents hovering over her, staring at her like they expected big news. She even stopped passing by Granny's and visiting Ruby because she and Granny would just sit and stare at her as well, like they expected something from her. She suspected that they knew something about what had been going on, but she shook off the thoughts trying to convince herself that nothing was happening, and if anything actually was happening- nobody would believe it, not even herself. But today is Monday. And there is no avoiding the dreams, the memories, and Regina. If she didn't show up for dinner tonight, Henry would know something is up- she hadn't missed Monday dinner in five years.

Later that afternoon, Snow and David sat in a booth at Granny's talking about Emma and Regina while Ruby and Belle whispered about the same topic to each other, all under the watchful eye of Granny.

"David, I don't know why you keep insisting that this is somehow romantic."

"It is! It makes perfect sense."

"Oh don't be so cavalier about this, there is nothing about this situation that makes sense."

"Our daughter gave Regina presents and she gave some back, it's as simple as that. An incredibly common romantic gesture."

"AGH, just _stop _saying _Regina_ and _romantic_ in the same sentence!" Snow's voice had raised a bit catching the attention of Ruby and Belle. The two women flipped their heads around facing Snow and Charming.

"Wait…" Ruby paused, "are you guys talking about… the same thing _we're_ talking about?"

Snow straightened up, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Belle perked up, "You most definitely said Regina," she softened her voice, "and _romantic._" She looked at David remembering everything he had asked her when he came to the flower shop inquiring about Emma and Regina. When Snow and David didn't respond, the two women squealed and sat across from them.

"Tell us everything you know, we've been talking about this for days and-"

"Days?!" gasped Snow.

"Um, yeah, anyway… so are they in a relationship yet?" Snow's face turned as white as, well, snow.

"You… you know?"

"Yeah we know." Said Belle smiling.

"Know what?"

"What do you mean"

"What do you know?"

"Well what do _you_ know?"

Granny rolled her eyes and stepped in, "Look, he knows, she knows, they know, I know, we all know. Regina and Emma have the hots for each other." Snow looked like she was going to faint, and she might as well have because right at that moment, Regina waltzed into the diner. She stopped dead in her tracks looking down at the five people staring at her with wide eyes.

"What?"

The group just stares at her. At that moment, Emma strolls through the door- sees Regina and turns directly on her heel and back out the door and starts running down the street. Regina watches her until she's out of view, she turns back to the group. Belle smirks, Ruby wiggles her eyebrows up and down, David searches her eyes, Snow sends her death glares, and Granny rolls her eyes as she steps behind the counter, "Coffee's coming, Madam Mayor."

Emma runs down the street, quickly turning into an alleyway.

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" She screams as she kicks a dumpster. Her knees buckle and she slides to the ground. "Why am I such a goddamn spaz?" She whines to a rat scuttling around the alley. She reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out the nearly shredded sunflower and fingers the remaining petals. She looks back over at the rat who now has his head in a Granny's take out bag, "Man, you have it easy." She sighs, "Do you have any idea what this woman is doing to me? I hated her. Absolutely hated her a few years ago. Now… man I don't know." The rat squeaks and scuttles towards a box of molding produce. "You're right. I'm being an idiot. Typical Emma. Running away, hiding, talking to rats… no offense." The rat scurries to another bag. "Hey man, stop running from your problems. I'm sure there's plenty of awesome food in that box if you only got to know it better! Stop denying your feelings. Who knows when you're going to find another box like that! It could be your true love-oh my god what am I doing?" She puts the sunflower back in her jacket pocket and hugs her knees.

Regina leaves the diner utterly confused and annoyed. What was with all of those looks? I swear these people grow more idiotic with each passing day. She steps into her car and begins to drive. She starts thinking about Emma and how she ran away when she saw her and pulled over. She reached into her purse and pulled out the wilting rose, cupping it in her hand and stroking it. "She hates me." She said to the flower. Why else would she run? Regina felt a pit grow in her stomach, she took a deep breath and looked around for any on coming traffic. Her eyes caught on a blonde woman sitting in an alley. She caught her breath when she saw the Sheriff take out a Sunflower and start stroking it. "My Sunflower." She whispered. She watched the woman kiss the flower before putting it in her pocket. It was too much to handle. She moved to get out of her car and approach Emma when her phone rang.

_Henry: Hey, mom. Can we have stuffed peppers for dinner tonight? Figured I'd ask for my favorite before I head to mom's and eat only mac n' cheese and pizza for the next week._

Regina rolled her eyes.

_Regina: Of course, sweetie. Be home soon. _

With one quick glance back to the blonde in the alley, she shut her phone and drove off towards the grocery store.

It's almost 6 p.m. and Emma is pacing back and forth in front of the Mayoral mansion. "Act normal, just act normal. Totally casual. Nothing's changed, it's just your average Monday, nothing to be worried abou-" the door opens and Emma falls off her feet backwards into a bush. Henry starts laughing hysterically and rushes over to help his mother back onto her feet.

"I saw you out here through the window. What the hell are you doing?" Emma brushes off her jeans and picks a few leaves out of her hair.

"Nothing, nothing. Just about to knock." She straightens up. "Come on, kid let's get our chow on."

"Uh huh." Henry grins as he follows his mom inside the house.

They had been sitting at the table for nearly thirty minutes and only Henry had been talking. Emma stuffed food in her face to keep her from saying anything suggestive while Regina pushed her food around and reacted to each of Henry's stories a little too enthusiastically. Both women refused to look at each other. Henry looks between the two women and decides it's time to take action.

"So, mom," he looks to Regina, "You ever find out who the rose came from?" Emma coughed and starts choking on her recent mouthful. Regina lept to her feet and ran around behind her throwing her fists into the blonde's stomach. Emma spits out the food and braces herself on the table coughing. She stops and realizes that Regina's arms are still around her. Henry looks at his moms and a huge smile spreads across his face. "I knew it." He thought.

Emma reaches her hand to the arm around her stomach touching it gently, Regina flinches and jumps back. Emma realized what she unconsciously did and turns to Henry, "I think we should get going. Early day tomorrow for the both of us."

Henry sat back casually folding his hands behind his head, "Oh? But I haven't packed yet because I figured you and mom were going to have your Monday wine on the back porch."

"Yeah, well, this brush with death has got me remembering that I'm going to have to cut it early tonight, kid."

Henry lifts his eyebrow, "Oooookay, if you say so." He stands up, kisses Regina on the cheek thanking her for dinner and slowly leaves the room throwing small glances over his shoulder at his two moms. He decided to take his time packing.

The two women stood in the same positions not saying a word.

"I had better start cleaning up the kitchen." Regina said quickly leaving the room.

"Yeah, yeah I'd better clean this up." Emma responded wiping the coughed up food with her napkin. "Her arms were around me." She internally squealed. She remembered she hadn't thanked Regina for saving her life and moved towards the kitchen. She poked her head in the kitchen and saw the brunette holding a rose… _her rose_. Her heart lept into her throat and she turned back around the corner holding her hand to her mouth. "She still has it." Emma went back to the table and cleaned up the rest of the mess while Regina washed the dishes in silence. A few minutes later, Henry crept down the stairs hoping not to intrude on anything he hoped was happening. To his dismay, he saw his mothers in different rooms trying to find a way to keep themselves busy. He sighed and walked into the dining room. "I'm all ready." Emma looked up and Regina walked out of the kitchen and into her son's arms.

"Have a great week, sweetie. I'll see you soon." She stood on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Emma felt her harm warm at the sight.

"Thanks for dinner mom." He squeezed her hand and moved towards the door. Emma shuffled behind him and just before she exited the house she turned around without looking at Regina's eyes and muttered, "Thanks for dinner, and- you know- saving my life."

Regina smiled, "You're welcome, dear." Emma lifted her eyes locking them with Regina's. They smiled at each other as both their stomachs swirled. She shut the door and Regina was left standing alone in the hallway.

Emma and Henry drove in silence until Henry couldn't take it anymore.

"Ma?"

"Yeah, kid."

"Did you give mom that rose?" Emma gulped.

"Um… I- uh…"

"So you did."

"Hey, I didn't say…"

"I know you did."

"What? You saw me at Belle's?"

Henry grinned, "No."

"Then how do you know?"

"Well, you just confirmed it for me."

"Shit." Emma squeezed the steering wheel.

"So, you like her."

"Who?"

"Mom."

"Well, I mean, I guess… she's your mom."

"That's not what I mean."

"Oh come on, kid."

"It's okay. She likes you too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's been acting really weird the last few days. She thinks I don't see her, but she's almost always sneaking around pulling out the rose you gave her and looking at it. She's too scared to make the first move, so it's gotta be you, Ma." Butterflies swirled around Emma's stomach. The rest of the drive was silent and when they reached the loft, Emma kissed Henry good night and ran right by Snow and David and straight into her room shutting the door.

Hearing her suspicions confirmed by Henry gave her newfound courage. She knows what she has to do, she just has to figure out _how_ to do it. She sat with her legs crossed on her bed, twirling her Sunflower. "I know," she said sitting up, "I'll write her a letter."

Regina sat on her bed holding the rose Emma gave her. There was a small twinge in her heart when she thought about Emma choking. She knew it wasn't as near to death as most of the other things, but it was still near death. And the idea of Emma dying was something she couldn't tolerate. After this thought she resolved to write Emma a letter.

With her letter finished, Emma grabbed her keys and snuck out the door. Her body flooding with anticipation, she felt like a teenager sneaking out of her house in the middle of the night. As she drove for the mansion, she thought she saw Regina pass her on the other side of the road, but that would be crazy. She just has the mayor on her mind.

Regina craned her neck as she passed by what she thought was Emma's car coming from the opposite direction. She tucked the letter she recently finished deeper into her purse thinking it might fly out and end up in the wrong hands. When she arrived at the loft, she slipped the letter though the mail slot and quickly ran back to her car. As she drove home she thought she saw Emma again, but it was too dark to tell.

Emma twisted her head around in her car, did she just pass Regina? She shook her head and pressed into the wheel feeling giddy with her successful delivery of her letter. Now all she has to do is wait. She crept back into the loft trying not to wake anyone up, but right when she shut the door- the light flicked on. Emma gasped and turned around to find Henry sitting on the sofa smiling at her.

"Kid, what the hell? You scared the shit out of me." Henry just sat there smiling. He held up an envelope.

"This just came for you." He passed her the long, elegant white envelope. She looked down and saw her name spelled out in neat cursive writing, the hand of which she was all too familiar with: Regina. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" She sprinted to her room leaving her son smiling after her.

Regina walked up to her door to find something wedged between the door handle and the door frame. She picked it out to find an old envelope with some strange bill-collecting address on it. She looked for a name and saw that the original recipient of the letter had scratched out their name and wrote hers. She smiled down at the childish scrawl knowing it was the writing of none other than Emma Swan. Regina rushed into the house and sat down in her study. Slowly opening the letter she smiled as she saw it was written on coffee-stained legal pad paper.

_Regina,_

_Thanks again for saving my life. I have to come clean, I gave you the rose and the chocolate. I wanted to make you smile, I wanted to make you feel happy. I still do. So if this doesn't totally freak you out, would you want to go on a date with me? I was thinkin' something fancy with like candles and stuff. Because I really want to do something special for you. I mean it's cool if you say, 'no,' but I hope you don't._

_Thanks again,_

_Emma_

Emma tore open the envelope and giggled at the official stationary and clean paper.

_Dear Emma,_

_I know we've had our differences in the past and that we have come to a point in our friendship where choices must be made. As difficult as it is for me to admit, I felt compelled to give you the Sunflower and the macaroons. I wanted to do something for you because I honestly care about you. Would you do me the honor of going out on a date with me? No need to reply if you do not wish this, just know there will be no hard feelings._

_Sincerely,_

_Regina Mills. _

Emma giggled at the formality of her request, but then the words sunk in. Regina asked her out. REGINA MILLS ASKED HER OUT ON A DATE. She jumped up on her bed and jumped around eventually slipping off and hitting the floor. "I gotta go to her." She said as she grabbed her keys and bolted out the door.

Regina couldn't wait. She had to go see Emma. She jumped in her car and began driving. As she came around a corner, she saw a yellow VW Bug roaring up the road. The two women passed each other with wide eyes and open mouths. Regina steadied her car, but Emma was going too fast with excitement and lost control of the car. Regina heard a loud crash and slammed on her brakes. She jumped out of her car and ran over to the now upside down VW Bug.

Black. Everything is black. Head hurts. Ow. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital room, but something was off. She looked around the room utterly confused. Candles were placed all around her bed and on every surface illuminating the room in a soft glow. Her eyes rested at the foot of the bed. Regina. Regina sat at the foot of her bed with a worried look in her eyes. Emma stared intensely at her, "Please let this not be a dream."

"This is no dream, dear." Replied Regina giving a relieved smile at the sight of Emma sitting up.

"What- what happened? Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. You have a broken arm and a concussion, you were out all last night and all of today. Henry will be here in the morning." Emma was at a loss for words.

"I… I was driving cause I got your letter. And then…"

"I told you that car was a yellow death trap."

"Oh come on, it was your face that did me in." Regina cast her eyes downward and frowned. "Oh, Regina I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"It's alright, dear. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah me too. What is all of this?" She said as she stared around her room.

"Our first date." Regina smiled.


	7. Chapter 7: Dancing

No flashing images, no swirl of indecipherable shapes, no chaos. Everything is calm, warm, loving. Emma reluctantly opens her eyes, she looks down and sees Regina sitting in a chair passed out on Emma's lap- holding her hand. She sighed and looked around at the extinguished candles around the room. She smiled softly and moved her hand to stroke Regina's hair when suddenly the door burst open. Snow stopped dead in the doorway causing David to crash into her, and Henry into him. Regina's eyes fluttered open at the noise and she turned her head to see a fuming Snow.

"_What_ have you done to my daughter?" Snow hisses as she surveys the room before turning her eyes to pierce the former queen. Regina took a deep breath and stood up to face Snow. She knew the look in her eyes for she held it in her eyes for years: rage. Looking down, she realizes that she's still holding Emma's hand, she quickly drops it and turns back to Snow saying calmly, "Look, I know this is a bit shocking, but…" Before she could finish her sentence, Snow launched forward smacking her across the face.

"NO! I don't want to hear it. You will _not_ take my daughter from me a second time!" Emma lunged from her bed separating Regina and Snow, David pulled on his wife's shoulders, and Henry ran over to his mom before she could incinerate Snow, but just as he reaches her, she vanishes in a cloud of deep purple smoke. "Mom!" he yells.

Emma turns around to where Regina had just been standing, flipping back to her mother she screams, "Snow, what the hell?!" Henry shoots a glare at his grandmother and darts for the door, "I'm going to go find her."

David keeps a firm hold on Snow's shoulders, her face still fuming. Emma watches her son run out the door before turning to Snow, "Well great, mom. Just great. Thanks for ruining what was probably the best morning of my life."

"You don't know what you're saying, Emma. She's put a spell on you, or cursed you or something."

"Oh just fuck off." Mumbles Emma as she follows her son out the door.

Regina reappears in her living room, holding her stinging cheek with her left hand, her right placed on her stomach. She felt nauseous. Of all the surprises the last few seconds held, the most shocking to her was that her first instinct was to run- not fight. She remained in that position for what seemed like forever. Something in her refused to let her move. She heard the front door open and someone ran into the room.

"Mom!" said Henry out of breath. When she turned and faced her son, she broke down and fell to the couch. He ran to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

"I-I'm soo-oo, so-o-rry." She heaved. Henry kissed her head and drew her closer.

"You shouldn't be sorry, mom. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I'm really proud of you." Regina buried her face into her son's chest.

"H-how can you say that?"

"Easy. You conquered your fear and faced Ma, not to mention you faced Grandma without hurting her back. Don't tell me you're going to turn into a pacifist now, hmm?" He gave her a goofy grin that made her snort. "Come on, I know what'll cheer you up." He stood up and walked to the stereo. He knew exactly which CD to place in the player. When the music started, Regina gave a little laugh as she watched her son lip sync to "Wallflower" by Etta James

_Hey baaaby. What I have to do? To make you love me too._

"Come on, mom you used to do this all the time to cheer me up when I was younger." He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.

_You've got to roll with me Henry; Roll with me Henry; Roll with me Henry_

He swung her around, pulled her close, twirled her around. Her smile slightly grew.

_While the cats are ballin, you better stop your stallin, it's intermission in a minute, so we better get with it, roll with me Henry, you better roll it while the rollin' is on, roll on, roll on, roll on_…

She laughed hysterically as Henry contorted his face into exaggerated displays of cheerfulness as he continued to swing her around.

_Roll with me Henry, Roll with me Henry…_

Henry tripped over the coffee table and fell to the floor, bounced up and continued his lip syncing as his mom joined in and they laughed, danced, and lip synced harder. The music stopped and they fell into each other's arms laughing uncontrollably. Henry looked up, "Ma!" he spat out between giggles.

Sure enough there was Emma. Standing dumbfounded in the hallway still dressed in her hospital gown. "And here I was thinking I was going to walk into a nightmare, but instead I discover that hospital drugs are a lot stronger than I thought. Was I hallucinating just now?" Henry and Regina laughed harder before approaching Emma and pulling her into a hug. Henry removed himself from their arms and ran back to the stereo pressing play. Come on, moms… Etta James is still jammin'. He started shuffling backwards while snapping his fingers to, "Tough Lover." Regina smiled brilliantly at him before turning to Emma, "What do you say? Up to dancing?"

Emma stood with her mouth open, "Hell yeah, just watch the arm." Regina took Emma's good arm and they joined Henry in the living room-turned dance floor. He took turns twirling them around each other, criss-crossing his legs and swinging them around the room. He stepped back and watched them naturally fall into each other's arms, smiling and laughing. He watched them beaming and just as the song ended, the moment he had been waiting for finally arrived: with both smiling wildly, they brought their lips together. He ran to his moms and wrapped them both in a tight squeeze, "Fiiiiiinalllly!"


	8. Chapter 8: Conversations

David and Snow sat in a booth at Granny's. Charming looked across the table at his wife with his arms folded as she picked at the table, trying not too look at him.

"Snow, can we talk about it now?"

"No." she pursed her lips and looked out the window. He stared at her harder, not believing what had just happened. He couldn't believe that Snow, _his Snow_, could do something like that. Even if it was to Regina, the action wasn't provoked.

"We're going to talk about it."

"Charming…" Snow groaned.

"Why did you do it?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do, now tell me."

"She bewitched our daughter."

"Oh come on, you don't really believe that, do you?"

"It makes sense! She figured out a way to get Henry all the time while at the same time exacting her revenge on me."

"Don't tell me you're really going to make this all about you."

"How can _you _seem to be totally okay with this?"

"I'm not. But I want to at least _talk _to our daughter and maybe also Regina before I start running around hitting people."

"I was angry. Our daughter was in the hospital, all because of _her_."

"We both know that she didn't intend the crash to happen. You know how Emma gets when she's really excited." Snow threw her husband a glare. David sat back and let out a long breath. "I honestly just can't believe you slapped Regina."

"You did _what?!"_ Ruby overheard the last sentence and ran over to the booth sitting next to Snow. "Holy shit you slapped Regina?" Snow nodded. "How'd it feel?"

"Ruby." David tilted his head and scolded her. "You're not helping." Ruby rolled her eyes at Charming, winked at Snow, and slid behind the counter to text Belle the recent news.

Regina bounced around the kitchen preparing lunch for her family. "Family." She smiled. Emma and Henry put the living room back in order and sat down at the table in the dining room. They smiled at each other as they heard Regina's heels clacking around on the kitchen tile. "It's the happiest I've heard those heels." Henry whispered. Emma laughed as she rested her injured arm on the table. Her smile spread from ear to ear thinking about what was happening: she's sitting in Regina's dining room with Henry across from her, Regina running around the kitchen making food- all of them still sweating from a spontaneous dance party. And, most of all, she and Regina had kissed. Regina came bustling into the room placing glasses of water on the table, giving a quick wink to Emma whose heart melted at the sight. Her cheeks went red as a goofy laugh slipped from her still-tingling lips. Regina ran back into the kitchen and reemerged with three plates of the largest sandwiches the Mills house had ever seen. She placed one in front of Henry and gave him a kiss on the cheek, placed one in front of Emma with a kiss on the cheek and sat down placing hers in front of her. Henry and Emma smiled at each other and stood up kissing Regina's cheeks. She went completely red and waved them off with her hands, "Too much, dears… too much." She laughed.

As they ate, they recounted all of the funny faces and dance moves from the last hour. After things quieted down, Regina looked over at Emma and noticed that she was still in her hospital gown. "Would you like a fresh set of clothes, dear?" Emma looked up at Regina and back down at herself- she too had forgotten what she was wearing.

"You kidding? This thing's lucky, I'mma wear this sucker to the bone. Plus you can see my ass if I turn around." She winked at Regina who raised an eyebrow and smirked in return.

"Oooooooooooooeeeeeeeewwwww. I guess I can be expecting to be disgusted more often now?" Henry moaned looking from mother to mother.

Regina shot a look at Emma who attempted-and failed- to seductively bite into her sandwich. Instead, all of its contents fell from the bun onto her lap.

After lunch, Henry yawned slumped up to his bedroom to take a nap, leaving his mothers alone in the living room couch. "You two play nice." He called as he climbed the stairs. Emma fell back onto a couch while Regina quickly cleaned up before placing herself next to the blonde. "Thank you for coming over, Emma." The blonde took Regina's hand and smiled. With everything that happened that afternoon, they had both forgotten about what happened at the hospital.

"I can't believe she hit you." Emma said, her eyes growing dark.

"I can. Snow and I have a tumultuous past."

"That doesn't justify her hitting you across the face." Regina remained silent. "I hope you don't get offended, but I was honestly surprised that you didn't do anything back to her."

"And with that, dear, I'll have to agree with you."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I suppose it's that I had just woken up from what was probably the most peaceful sleep on my life and I just didn't know how to handle going from that back into a world of darkness." She fell silent and looked away from Emma. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but all I do know is that I am perfectly happy right here." She smiled and squeezed Regina's hand. The brunette replied, "Me too."

They both took deep breaths and put their foreheads together.

A couple hours later, Henry snuck down the stairs to find his moms dead asleep on top of each other- Regina laying flat on top of Emma, her head resting on the blonde's neck, Emma's good arm wrapped around Regina's waist. "It's like they've always been this way." He thought to himself. His moment of loving reflection was interrupted when the doorbell rang. His two moms sat straight up on the couch looking dazed. "Don't worry, I'll get it." He called to them. He opened the door and saw his grandfather standing on the porch looking nervous.

"Hey, Henry."

"Hi."

"Is, uh, is your mom here?"

"Which one?"

"Oh, uh, well either one, I guess." At that moment, Emma appeared in the doorway rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Regina close behind her.

"Emma, hey…" his voice trailed as his eyes gravitated to a red lipstick smear on his daughter's lips. Henry looked at him and then at Emma's lips.

"Uh, Ma?" he said as he touched his finger to his lips.

"Oh." She said hastily as she tried to wipe the lipstick off. Regina licked her thumb and cupped Emma's face.

"Here, let me." She smoothly wiped her own lipstick from Emma's lips and smiled. David watched this with his mouth open in horror. His mind couldn't figure out if it was repulsed or if it was just confused because it all seemed so natural.

"So, David… what do you need?" said Emma as she stiffened up ready to defend Regina.

"I just wanted to make sure that you are okay." He said as he surveyed Emma's arm and hospital gown. "You left rather quickly, I'm afraid that visit didn't go quite as planned." Emma felt Regina tense up behind her. "Regina?" The former queen stepped around Emma close to David, prepared to take the hits.

"David?" She said folding her arms.

"I wanted to apologize for this morning. What Snow did wasn't right. I want you to know that I don't think you bewitched Emma or anything, but I am still trying to process this."

"I understand. And trust me, dear, you aren't the only one trying to process this. I appreciate your words, though. "

"Thank you." Charming remained on the porch taking in the scene.

"Do you need anything else, dear?"

"Oh, uh, well… I was just wondering if Emma and Henry were coming home."

"Why didn't mom come herself?" Emma piped up. David put his hands on his hips and looked at his feet.

"I, uh… she isn't of the same opinion as me."

"Which is?"

"That you're not under a spell."

"Seriously? She _really_ believes that Regina put some kind of spell on me?"

"No, dear, she just _wants_ to believe it. In this situation, the most irrational scenario is the safest in her mind."

"Regina's right." David said. "This is going to be really difficult for her."

"Well, I'm just going to stay right here until she can face facts." Said Emma matter of factly. Regina looked at her with wide eyes, Henry smiled, David nodded his head.

"I figured as much." He said. "Stubbornness is the least attractive Charming Family quality." Regina raised an eyebrow at this statement. She could think of a few others…

"Well," said David turning around, "I'd better get going. How about I go pick up some of your things from the loft and bring them back in about an hour?"

"Sounds good." Emma nodded. "See you later." She shut the door as soon as Charming started walking away.

"You're staying _here_?" Regina said looking at Emma.

"Oh, uh… yeah sorry, I shouldn't have assumed, I was hoping that wouldn't be a problem."

"It's not." Regina smirked.

"Cool." Said Henry pulling his mothers into a bear hug.

Charming opened the door to the loft to find his wife sitting in the dark.

"Snow, don't do this."

"She's not coming home, is she?"

"Not tonight."

"Hmph." Snow huffed and curled into an even tighter ball on the chair. "Then she's won."

David shook his head and left the room, leaving his wife alone in the dark.


	9. Chapter 9: Revelations

This dream is different. Instead of viewing the cyclone of images and shapes, she's walking through it like she's lost in a sandstorm. Wind howls in her ears, her hair flies around wildly whipping her face, she nearly sits down to wait out the dream until ahead of her she see's someone else. She walks closer, squinting through the chaos: it's her love. They find one another and wrap each other in their arms. The howling wind stops, the images disappear, it's just the two of them together- glowing in the darkness.

Both Emma and Regina shot wide awake. Breathing heavily, they pulled apart- somehow they ended up wrapped in each other's arms in the middle of the hallway. Regina remembered falling asleep in her own bed, and Emma remembered falling asleep in the guest bedroom, but somehow they found each other in the middle of the night. The two women sat in the hallway staring at each other with wide eyes until Henry opened his door. He looked down and saw his two mothers.

"And what do we have here?" He said, raising his eyebrow. Emma and Regina continued to just stare at each other. "It's no use, Ma. Mom _always_ wins staring contests." He laughed, but the two women remained silently staring at each other. "Well, I will leave you to it, I'm going to go make coffee." He stepped over his mothers and skipped down the stairs smirking to himself.

"How did I get here?" Emma's voice croaked. Regina shook her head.

"I have no idea."

"I mean, one minute I was having this crazy dream and the next…" Emma's voice trailed as she looked back to Regina's eyes. At Emma's words, Regina sat up and tilted her head. "What?"

"What was your dream?" Regina asked moving closer to Emma.

"Oh, um… I don't know it's hard to explain. It's just this dream I've been having over and over for a while now- but last night it was…"

"Different." Regina finished her sentence. Emma raised her eyebrows and scooted closer to the brunette.

"What do you know?"

"I had a dream last night too. One that's been repeating every night for a long time, but mine was different also." Emma looked at her intensely.

"What was your dream?"

"Images, well, flashes of peculiar images that I can't seem to pick out. Everything's moving so quickly like…"

"A tornado or something." Emma finished.

"Yes." Regina whispered, eyeing Emma suspiciously.

"Oh my god, Regina I think we had the same dream. In my dream what was different was that I was walking…"

"In the storm." They said at the same time.

"Yeah, but then I saw you… I saw you, Regina."

"And I saw you."

The two women sat closer, putting the pieces together. Emma picked up Regina's hand softly, "So, does that mean that you've seen… other… things in your dreams in the past?" Regina looked up at the blonde fearfully.

"Yes." She whispered. "There were a few times when the images would stop, unfolding what seemed like…"

"A vision?"

"Yes."

The two women stared deeply into each other's eyes. They had both seen the same things: the baby, the wedding, the voices saying, "I love you."

"This is fucking weird." Emma blurted out.

"Weird indeed, my dear." Regina laughed.

"Coffee's ready!" Henry called from downstairs. Regina stood up, grabbing Emma's good arm and pulling her up after her. Emma gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Granny's diner swarmed with chattering voices. News of Snow slapping Regina in the hospital spread like wild fire.

Pretty soon, the story changed from Snow slapping Regina, to Snow punching her, Regina turning Snow into a toad, Snow tackling Regina to the floor pulling out her hair, Regina bursting Snow into flames, and eventually everyone became an eye witness. Granny stood behind the counter glaring at everyone in the room, "Like a bunch of damn hens." She grumbled. At this moment, the diner bell chimed and in walked Snow and David. The hens instantly stopped their clucking, eyeing Snow.

David looked around the room and whispered to his wife, "Maybe this was a bad idea." Snow shook her head and firmly pressed her feet forward.

"No, I think this is exactly where we need to be." She stormed forward and sat in an empty booth, her husband shuffling behind her. The hens eyed them suspiciously until they sat down, then they turned back to their conversations and clucked quietly.

"It's like they all know." Said Snow.

"Can we not do this here?" Charming whispered, looking around at the people still glancing over at them.

"Oh, what? _Now _you don't want to talk about it?"

"Of course I do, just not here. People will get the wrong idea."

"I don't care what these people think." Said Snow a bit louder.

"Snow, please."

"No. We're going to talk about this right now." She sat up raising her voice. "Regina is ruining everything in my life just like she has for my _entire_ life. She's evil, and will always be _evil_. And now she's trapped my daughter in her house!"

"Emma chose to stay, I told you that."

"She's bewitched, she's only saying what Regina wants her to say. You know it's true, but you're too much of a coward to admit it!" By this point Snow was on her feet yelling at her husband. Charming simply shook his head, stood up, and walked to the door. "FINE! Keep walking! Why don't you just run over there and join their little _love nest_!" Charming turned his head around- his eyes looking at Snow as if he didn't know who she was. The diner was completely silent as Charming stormed out the door and down the street.

Ruby turned to Granny and whispered, "Snow White and Prince Charming fighting while the Savior and the Evil Queen fall in love? What is the world coming to?" Granny rolled her eyes.

"A bunch of damn fools, if you ask me." She growled watching Snow sink back into the booth.

Henry reluctantly left for school. He wanted to be home with his family. When he left, he caught a glimpse of Emma walking around his mother's room in his mother's clothes doing her best Mayor Mills impression while Regina fell back on the bed laughing. "Everything is falling into place." He whispered to himself. "Just like in my dreams." And with that thought, he closed the front door behind him and practically bounced to school.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, _Miss Swan_." Emma playfully said as she furrowed her brow and wagged her finger in Regina's face. Regina lept off the bed putting on Emma's jacket. Scrunching up her face she swept over to Emma.

"And _you_ have no idea what _I_ am capable of." She said in a squeaky voice. She grabbed her hairbrush off the dresser and started sawing it at Emma's cast making little chainsaw noises. The two women fell back on the bed laughing hysterically. Regina folded her fingers into Emma's hair, and Emma stroked the brunettes' face lovingly. "I have a surprise for you." Regina said as she pecked Emma on the nose with her lips and bounced off the bed.

"Please tell me it involves my hospital gown." Emma said wiggling her eyebrows.

"No, dear." Regina smirked, "Look out the window." Emma slid off the bed and joined Regina at the window. In the driveway was her faithful yellow VW Bug- all shiny and new.

"BUG!" Emma squealed happily. "Oh my god, Regina… did you really?" Regina nodded her head excitedly.

"I figured I had an obligation to, seeing as how it _was_ my fault that you crashed in the first place." Emma scoffed and pulled Regina close.

"Now, let's not play the blame game." She said as she smiled and pressed her lips to Regina's. They pulled from each other, locking eyes. Regina pushed forward pressing their lips harder, sliding her tongue between Emma's lips. Emma clenched Regina's back, pulling her in tighter. Regina moved her hands into the blonde's hair, slowly tugging at the curls-causing her to moan. Emma moved her hand down Regina's back and squeezed the brunette's ass- earning a soft laugh and moan. The two shuffled towards the bed completely interlocked, kicking off their shoes. The back of Emma's knees hit the bed and she collapsed, Regina straddling her. Suddenly Regina's face dropped.

"I don't know if we should do this." She said looking out the side of her eyes.

"Seriously?" Emma pouted and looked up at Regina with wide eyes. The brunette curved her lips and turned back to Emma smiling.

"Ooooh low blow, Mills. Low blow." She said as she grabbed the collar of her jacket the mayor was still wearing, swooping in for a kiss. Regina moved her hands up Emma's body, feeling every muscle and cell until she reached her breasts. She grabbed at them viciously and pushed her lips into Emma's neck hungrily. Emma's eyes went wide and her mouth opened in shock and excitement at the ferocious assault on her body. She squeezed Regina's ass harder and began to push her pelvis into Regina's body. The brunette clung to Emma's breast as her other hand moved down to the blonde's zipper, as soon as she began tugging at it, the doorbell rang. Regina's head flew up and her hands stopped mid action.

"Don't worry about it." Emma whispered as she lifted her head nibbling on Regina's ear. The doorbell rang again. Regina remained frozen, the doorbell rang a third time. She hopped off Emma and straightened out her hair.

"Regiiiiinaaaa noooo." Emma groaned from the bed. But Regina was already out the door and walking down the stairs. Emma moved to throw her head back on the pillow, but hit the bed frame instead. "Ow." She said as she rubbed her head pouting.


	10. Chapter 10: Lucky Gowns

Regina flung the door open, her mouth dropped.

Snow stood on her porch facing her, bow and arrow aimed straight at Regina's head. Her eyes shifted from Regina's eyes to the jacket she was wearing. Emma's jacket.

"I'm here for my daughter." Regina stood firm, chin raised. "Where is she?" Regina remained silent. "WHERE. IS. SHE?!" Emma heard her mother's voice and came bellowing down the stairs. She ran to Regina's side, placing her good hand around the mayor's shoulder.

"Snow, I don't know what you think you're doing, but you need to stop." Emma said, looking directly at her mother. Snow stood firm, arrow pointed at Regina's head. She glanced at Emma and noticed she was wearing Regina's clothes. Her blood boiled.

"You took my daughter away from me, _again_. You took my husband from me, _again_." At this, Regina raised her eyebrows.

"What do you mean she took your husband? Where's David? What happened?" Emma surveyed her mother's face while tightening her grip on Regina's shoulder. Snow's eyes teared up, her lips quivering, she released the arrow from her hold and it flew to Regina's face, the former-queen catching it before it hit her. Snow crumpled to the floor sobbing. Emma stood in shock unable to move, but Regina swept to the ground placing her hands on Snow's shoulders and forcing her to look into her eyes.

"Snow White." Regina said in a soft yet authoritative voice, keeping her eyes fixed on Snow's. "I would like to ask your forgiveness." Snow's eyes widened, Emma turned her head sharply towards Regina. "After the curse broke, I should have been locked up- or even killed, but neither happened- at least, not physically." She took a deep breath. "I was trapped in my own anger and guilt. Secluded, alone, unloved. I had loved my son so fiercely, I pushed him away- moving into a state of apathy. I spent almost five years without feeling a thing until your daughter came to me with an open heart. She had forgiven me, and has now allowed me to be a part of her life. I want you to know, that I've learned that vengeance is the wrong path, it will blacken your heart, leave you alone and unloved. I want you to know that that is a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy." Snow looked into Regina's eyes, knowing she was addressing her specifically. "I want you to know that I will never leave her, I will never hurt her, I want you to know that I… that I love her." Snow fell into Regina's chest, heaving. Regina put her arms around her and held her.

"I-I-I'm so so-o-orry, Regina. I didn't mean to shoot, I just…" she sobbed harder, "I'm just not ready."

"I know." Regina patted her on the back. She looked down the driveway, David pulled up in his truck and ran to his wife's side. Regina released her and stood back.

"Your wife needs to be taken home, David." Emma walked to her side, putting her arm around Regina. David helped Snow up and placed her in the car and drove home.

"You okay, Regina?"

"Yes, dear. I'm fine."

"I can't believe…"

"I know, but to be honest I'm not ready either."

"Did you really mean everything you said?"

"Not everything, not yet."

Emma cupped Regina's face with her good hand. "I'll never leave you."

"I know." She smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you."

The two women kissed and started walking towards the house.

"Hey, you know what?" Emma said, stopping suddenly.

"Hmmm?"

"The dream. What we just said."

Regina paused, "You're right."

"This is crazy. One of our dreams came true."

The two women stood staring at each other. If one dream came true, than that means the others could too…

When they reached the loft, David put the kettle on the burner to make tea. Snow curled up in a chair without a word. After the tea was prepared, David handed Snow her cup and pulled up a chair next to her.

"I… I shot her."

"You what?" David said in disbelief.

"I shot Regina." David's eyebrows went up.

"But she didn't look like…"

"She caught it before it could hit her." He sighed with relief. "But I might as well have shot myself. You wouldn't believe the things she said, Charming. They were… nice, genuine, completely sincere."

"That's shocking."

"And I know she wasn't lying. Somehow I could feel it." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "She didn't put a spell on Emma."

"I know." David nodded.

"I guess I just didn't want to except that Regina has actually changed. I had all of these images flashing through my mind of the time when we had her in prison in the Enchanted Forest and she faked redemption before attempting to murder me. I couldn't get her words from our wedding out of my head, 'I will destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do.'"

David remembered the words and found a new understanding as to why his wife jumped to the conclusions she did. "But that wasn't Regina. That was the Evil Queen."

"After looking into her eyes today, I can believe that." Charming smiled. "But that doesn't mean that I can quickly accept she and Emma being together."

"Me neither." Charming agreed. "It's all a little bizarre."

"She asked me to forgive her, David. She asked _me_ for _forgiveness_." David's eyes went wide and he sat back in his chair. "I couldn't do it. Not yet. But I don't think she fully meant what she said either, but that's okay. I know she wasn't lying, she just didn't fully believe what she was saying."

"She also didn't kill you." David smirked. Snow gave a little laugh.

"I am so sorry for how I've behaved, Charming. It wasn't right of me to treat you like that." Her husband stood up from his chair and cradled his wife in his arms.

"It's alright, sweetie." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too."

When Henry arrived at home after school, he found his mothers in the kitchen unpacking groceries. He dropped his bag and slid into his brunette mother's arms, giving her a kiss on the top of her head, then bumped fists with his blonde mother's good hand. He wanted to come home to this every day. Regina and Emma decided it was best to tell Henry everything that had happened with Snow, and after filling him in at dinner, Henry sat in his chair with a face of utter disbelief.

"Man, I leave for a few hours and I miss everything." He said, making Emma snicker. He stood from his chair and took his brunette mother in his arms, "I'm really sorry, mom."

"For what, dear?"

"That you had to go through that. I don't want anyone to ever hurt you." Regina's eyes filled with tears. A few years ago she would have given anything to hear those words pass from his son's lips. She relished in them, kissing his hand softly.

"Thank you, sweetie." Henry pulled away from his mother sitting back in his chair.

"Aw, shucks, you guys are making me blush." Emma giggled.

"And you," Henry said turning to his blonde mother, "a costume change?" Emma had changed from Regina's clothes back into her hospital gown.

"Yeah, kid. Back to the formal wear. This thing is lucky and I shouldn't have taken it off."

"Well I hope you do at some point, dear." Regina murmured grinning at Emma.

"Oooookay, and with that I'm going to go do my homework." Henry said as he stood up kissing both mother's before walking up to his room. The two women stood up and took the dishes to the kitchen. As she cleaned, Regina noticed Emma struggling to help with her broken arm.

"I'm so sorry about your arm, dear."

"Naaah, don't worry about it. Just think of the things I'll able to do with it once I get the cast off." She wiggled her eyebrows up and down making Regina laugh.

"You know, that _could_ be sooner than you think."

"Really? How?" Emma perked up. Regina held up her hand, but Emma just stared at it. "I don't get it."

"Magic."

"Oh…" she let it process, "OH! Why haven't you already suggested it, let alone done it?!" said Emma excitedly.

"Well, it's not good to depend on magic- I don't use it for much anymore. Plus I wouldn't want to do it without your permission."

"You have my permission, blah blah blah- come on let's do this." Emma said hurriedly. Regina smiled and took Emma's arm in her left hand, moving her right hand just above the cast. Emma felt a warm tingling in her bones and muscles. Then with a final wave of her hand, the cast disappeared. Emma twisted her wrist and bent her elbow, looking up at Regina with wild eyes and a huge smile.

"How does it feel?"

"Fine. Now enough small talk." She grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her towards the stairs, "Now I'm going to thank you." The two women ran into the bedroom and shut the door. They immediately fell into each other's arms. With her hand now healed, Emma moved one to the back of Regina's hair slightly tugging at it while the other moved down squeezing her ass. Regina moaned and pressed her lips to Emma's neck, her hands clenching the blonde's back. Their bodies grinded against each other as their hands moved up and down each other's bodies grabbing every bit of flesh. Emma slammed Regina's back to the wall and fell to her knees kissing everything in sight causing the brunette to let out a loud moan.

"Wait, wait, wait." Regina said frantically. Emma stopped immediately and moved back.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, dear. Oooh no you most definitely did not." She spread her arms and waved her hands, the room glowed a bright purple for a second and stopped.

"What was that?"

"Sound proofing the room." Regina said with a devilish grin.

Emma returned the smile and lept to her feet slamming Regina back against the wall. She moved to her neck, sucking and biting while both her hands held Regina's above her head. The brunette laughed ecstatically at the force that came from the sheriff as she pinned her with her lips. She shoved her back onto the bed and fell on top of the blonde, sliding her tongue between Emma's lips. She moved her hands around the blonde's neck and untied the hospital gown as Emma ripped her jacket from Regina's shoulders. Regina eagerly ripped off her shirt before slamming their bodies back together, kissing frantically. Emma tugged at Regina's bra, sliding it down her body and pressing her lips into Regina's nipple. She pulled Regina on top of her and there was a blast of warmth and exhilaration as their naked torsos collided. Regina moved her hand towards Emma's thighs, but the blonde quickly grabbed her hand and moved it away. She flipped Regina onto her back and grabbed her pants, pulling them slowly down her legs. "Now, now… I'm supposed to be thanking _you_ first." Regina smiled wildly. Emma through Regina's pants across the room with a laugh and clenched the brunette's underwear between her teeth- sliding them down her legs- her eyes locked with Regina's.

With every article of clothing finally off, Emma was able to take in the full view. She could hardly breathe as she gazed down at the beautiful woman laying on the bed, her legs open, arms above her head. She didn't know where to start, and just flung herself upon the former-queen, biting at her neck and clenching her breasts with her hands. She moved her lips to Regina's as she slid her newly healed hand between Regina's thighs. She pressed her middle and ring finger onto Regina's clit and started rotating her fingers. The brunette gasped and wrapped her arms around Emma's back. Emma quickened her pace and felt Regina's nails digging into her back. She smiled and moved her lips to Regina's breast. The nails went deeper and deeper into her back, Emma could hear the brunette's breath getting faster and faster. She slid her two fingers into Regina and curled the tips thrusting faster and faster. Regina's hips bucked and Emma quickened her pace as she started grinding into Regina's body. Seconds later, Regina let out a loud gasp and screamed as her nails tore down Emma's back. Emma knew she had come to orgasm, but she wasn't letting her go that easily. She curled her fingers and continued her assault as she crashed her lips into Regina's neck. Kissing down her body she thrust her tongue onto Regina's clit, nipping and licking as her fingers moved in and out faster and faster and faster until Regina's body started twitching and another much louder scream filled the room. Regina turned to mush in the bed and Emma smiled as she climbed back up her body and rested her head on her chest.

"Aren't you glad you healed my arm?" She said as she looked at Regina victoriously.

"Emma… I…" the mayor was at a complete loss for words.

"Shoosh shoosh. Thank you for healing me." Emma said as she kissed Regina softly on her jaw. Regina simply nodded. A few moments later, Emma caught Regina's eyes. "What?" She said. Regina smirked and jumped on top of Emma.

"My turn to thank you." She grinned devilishly. Emma cast a brief glance at the hospital gown now hanging over a lamp on the dresser where it had been flung. "I'm never getting rid of that." She thought before all brain activity melted as she felt Regina's strong fingers enter her.


	11. Chapter 11: Perspectives

He woke up every day at the crack of dawn. Stumbling casually to the kitchen he dumps five heaping spoon full's of coffee grounds into a tiny tin cylinder. Placing the cylinder inside of a pot on the stove, he boils water in a kettle. _Old ways are good ways_ he thought as the kettle sang and he poured the hot water over the cylinder watching the coffee seep through the bottom into the pot. He grabs an empty glass jar from the cabinet and plops four ice cubes inside. He has fine glassware, but _old ways are good ways_. He picks up the pot from the stove and pours the hot coffee into the glass jar, watching the ice cubes melt. He takes a sip and swooshes the strong liquid around his mouth, dissolving the taste of sleep from his mouth. Taking another sip, he whips out another pan, wipes it with butter, and dumps a heap of bacon on top. Swooshing it around, letting it crackle and the grease settle into the pan. He grabs two plates and places two strips of bacon on each. Next he cracks four eggs and drops them into the bacon-greased pan. _Sunnyside Up_, he smiles to himself. He places a lid over the pan, and shoves two pieces of toast in the oven. The eggs bubbled and he removed the lid, sliding two eggs on each plate, removed the golden brown toast from the oven and lathered it with strawberry jam. Grabbing two trays, he placed the plates on top and grabbed another smaller glass jar from the cabinet, filling it with thick orange juice. He walked over to the giant window of his house overlooking Storybrooke and placed one tray in front of a telescope, and the other in front of another smaller telescope.

"Morning, Papa." Came a soft voice entering the room.

"Good morning, Sweet Grace." Said Jefferson smiling at his teenage daughter. "Time for our morning cartoons." She gave him a sleepy laugh and sat down in her small cushioned chair, adjusting her telescope. Her father gave her a swift kiss on the head and sat down in his own chair placed next to hers.

Every morning since the curse broke, he and Grace watched their "cartoons" together while they ate breakfast. They watched the citizens of Storybrooke scurry around their mornings, watching every sleepy face crawl into Granny's for coffee, making note of every walk of shame, every scrambled attempt to get to work on time. Every other evening they would do the same over dinner, but instead of cartoons they called it their "soaps." They would make up little stories for where everyone was running off to, create their own dialogue between bickering couples, and laugh over the early-evening drunkards.

"Ah, like clockwork." Grace said as she smiled and bit into her toast.

"The Mills?" Grace nodded. Jefferson turned his telescope to Mills Manor. He saw Regina in the kitchen making breakfast at the exact same time she did every morning. Grace would watch Henry sleepily slink into the kitchen and rest his head on the counter until his mother would brush his head off and place a mug of coffee in front of him. Jefferson moved his telescope across town, he didn't care much for watching Regina- she's too predictable, now Sheriff Swan and the Charmings… they were an exciting bunch to watch in the morning.

"I bet Snow forgets something and has to run back into her loft three times this morning." Said Grace with a mischievous smile, her telescope now turned in the same place as her father's. Jefferson gave a quick smile at his daughter.

"I bet only twice." He said as he lapped up egg yoke with his toast. They watched Snow leave the loft and stand outside for a minute, to throw up her hands and go running back inside. "Game on." The two watched intently as Snow came fumbling back out the door, she started walking down the street when her arms flew up again and went running back into the loft. She emerged a minute later looking agitated and started walking down the street. Jefferson looked over at his daughter victoriously, but she kept her eye firm on the telescope and whispered, "Wait for it." He put his eye back to his telescope just in time to see Snow running back into the loft and coming back out holding a giant model of the solar system. "HA!" cried Grace. "Told you." Smirked Grace as Jefferson laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair.

"And on that note, Grace… time for you to get ready to go to school." She smirked and ran off to her room, leaving her father to clean up their morning ritual. Thirty minutes she reemerged and gave her father a squeeze, "Don't forget, Bashful's surprise party is tonight. Should be a good one to record."

"Already bought new film." Jefferson smiled proudly. "Have a good day."

That night they watched as Bashful arrived at Granny's and everyone jumped up to shout "surprise!" They laughed hysterically watching Bashful pass out and all the party guests running up to fan him. They watched the Sheriff pull up and clear everyone back. Jefferson watched this and a surprised look crossed his face. He looked over at his daughter to find she had the same expression.

"Isn't she a bit early?" said Grace looking down at her watch.

"Yeah, she usually doesn't leave the Mayor's house until a little after midnight." He moved his telescope over to the Mayor's house… he could just make out Regina sitting at her kitchen counter polishing off the rest of the wine bottle, apparently deep in thought. "This is new." He whispered.

"They both seem a little off." Said Grace as she watched the Sheriff hoist Bashful to his feet and shove him into a booth in the diner.

The next morning, Jefferson and Grace watched the Sheriff and the Mayor like a couple of hungry hawks. They both seemed a little off their game, but nothing too eventful happened- the Mayor went to her office, the Sheriff to her station. As Grace left for school, she hit the record button on the camera. "I don't want to miss anything. This could be some juicy stuff." She giggled and ran off for school. Jefferson refilled his coffee and sat back at his telescope. Neither woman was leaving their office. A couple hours passed and he watched Leeroy stumble around getting in an argument with a tree, David settling a trivial argument between a couple pedestrians, the Blue Fairy walking around collecting donations for her recent charity. He always liked watching Blue walk. But then he stiffened up when he saw Emma Swan run by Blue without acknowledging her. He quickly focused the camera and peered back into his telescope just in time to see her bolt into Dr. Hopper's office. He turned back to Granny's and saw Regina sitting at the counter not touching her coffee. He watched her intensely, noticing she never touched the cup in front of her. About an hour later he saw her get up to leave just as the Sheriff came through the door of the diner, causing them to collide. He watched their faces bumble about in confusion before awkwardly parting… he followed Regina with his telescope until he saw her ascend to her office.

A few minutes later he watched her emerge and briskly walk down the street. "Now where are _you_ going, Madam Mayor?" he whispered to himself. His eyebrows went up in surprise when he saw her enter a building. "Dr. Hopper's?" He couldn't wait for Grace to get home. He kept his telescope fixed on Dr. Hopper's office until a yellow flash passed his gaze. He followed it, "Ah… Ms. Swan, where are _you_ running off to?" He saw her go into Belle's shop and emerge with a single red rose. She climbed into her car and drove off. A couple minutes later, Regina pulled into the parking lot and also went into Belle's shop emerging with a sunflower. Jefferson felt every muscle in his body tense, _something's happening_.

"HOLY SHIT! They both got flowers?!" Grace screamed as she watched the video tape from that afternoon. Jefferson watched her, cracking his knuckles.

"Just wait for it." He said excitedly examining her face. Her eyes narrowed on the videotape patiently watching the Mayor and the Sheriff unknowingly drive towards each other. She let out a scream and gasped, "OH MY GOD THEY ALMOST CRASHED!" She fell back in her chair laughing hysterically. "This is too good."

The next morning, Jefferson called the school and told them that Grace had to stay home because she's sick, but in fact he wanted her home with him so they could watch what they now called, "The Swan/Mills Comedy Hour" together. The father and daughter laughed hysterically as they recorded each moment of the Mayor and the Sheriff running circles around each other, almost crashing their cars, sneaking around, bolting back and forth trying to avoid one another. Everything quieted down for a few days until Monday. Jefferson and Grace knew that night would prove to be eventful. They watched Mills Manor intensely giving soft giggles watching Regina give Emma the Heimlich. Just before they were about to turn in for the night, there was a loud noise that rang up the hill to their house. Jefferson ran to the window and scanned the scene, through his telescope he saw a yellow bug flipped over, and a whirl of purple smoke. Playing back the video he saw the events unfold and couldn't help but snicker at the irony. _Finally_, he thought, _Maybe finally that will have knocked some sense into those two. Maybe they'll finally address that akward elephant of an emotion that permeates between those two. It's so obvious, you don't need a telescope to see it._ He stretched his limbs and said goodnight to his Grace. He fell asleep laughing and shaking his head.

Dr. Whale always set five alarms for himself. He often managed to miss them all and sleep in. Today was a day where he slept in. He woke up at 9.31 in a haze, realizing what time it was- he jumped out of bed and slid on his scrubs, pissed that he wouldn't get to have his "special shower time" with himself because he had to run off to the hospital for a long list of appointments. Days like these never ended well for the doctor. When he got to the hospital, he found his first patients waiting for him.

"No, Sleepy, I did not give you Ambien instead of Adderall."

"No, Dopey, the average person is supposed to have ten fingers."

"No, Dr. Hopper, I'm not a Vet."

"No, Ma'am, I can't help if the house you live in is a giant shoe with Athlete's Foot."

"No, Goldylocks, I've given you three allergy formulas already and you said the last was just right."

As evening came, he sat in his office rubbing his temples. Why do all of his patients seem to be so bothersome… and unattractive? Why couldn't Ruby need him to examine some strange mole on her back, or Belle complain about an aching in her thigh. He mulled it over and decided to shut his blinds so he could play with his… "imagination." Just as he pulled his pants down, a whirl of purple smoke filled his office and Regina Mills appeared holding an unconscious Emma Swan in her arms. She looked down at him and her face changed from worried to disgusted.

"Put it back in your pants, Whale and help me." Scolded the Mayor. After he gave the Sheriff some heavy sedatives and bandaged her arm and head, Whale moved back to his office and sat down. Why on earth would Regina be with Emma? Let alone try to help her. Everyone knows they've been getting closer, but _how close?_ His eyebrows perked up pervertidly. He stood up to check on the Sheriff's condition and when he walked to the door he found the hospital room illuminated with candles, and the Mayor and the Sheriff holding hands smiling at each other. He stepped back and collected himself. _What was that_. Are they… together? He slid back to his office, locking the door, closing the blinds. "Perhaps today will end happily after all." He said to himself as he pulled his pants down imagining the brunette and the blonde.

Two of the nurses watched Whale walk from the Sheriff's room to his office.

"Fucking pervert." Said one nurse, as the other nodded in agreement.

The Blue Fairy had a knack for picking up on magical connections. The inclination to perceive other's emotions was at first exciting, but later became a heavy burden as she watched people who loved each other push themselves into unnecessary turbulence. She sat in her chapel organizing hymn books thinking about a huge wave of emotion that passed over her just a few minutes ago as she walked down the street. She was collecting donations for her charity when Emma Swan ran by her. She could feel that the Sheriff was frantic and troubled- but something else pulled at her. Blue sat shuffling the hymn books trying to digest what exactly it was that she felt when the Sheriff ran by her. It was something she hadn't perceived in a very, very long time… not since Snow and Charming, actually. Could it be… "No." she said to herself. Some time later she found herself walking down the street still thinking about Emma Swan. Just as doubt in her abilities started to cloud her mind she stopped on the sidewalk. She could feel it. But, who…? Her eyes rose and saw the Mayor's car parked on the side of the street up ahead. It was practically radiating with the same emotions she previously felt from Emma Swan . She watched the Mayor drive off and Blue continued walking. She looked over into the alleyway she saw the Mayor watching and inhaled quickly. There was Emma Swan. And there was the emotion, but no… this couldn't be. She knew what all her senses were telling her, but she simply couldn't believe it- for what she felt was True Love.

August lived in a trailer in the woods. He had finally conquered his shame and cowardice and reunited with his father a year after the curse broke. During that time, he grew more appreciative of nature- feeling _ironically_ more in tune with the woods and less inclined to deal in human affairs. The last time he was at Granny's, Belle was talking excitedly with Ruby about Emma moving in with Regina. He couldn't get that image from his mind. Apparently they had been dating ever since Emma got in a car crash and ended up in the hospital, that was almost a year ago. They're definitely moving fast. He sat in his trailer thinking about how difficult it was to picture Emma and Regina together as lovers when he heard a noise outside. He peeked out his window to see the Sheriff and the Mayor scampering into the woods, pawing at each other. They pulled each other into a heated embrace, kissing furiously and pulling each other's clothes off. "When I said I couldn't picture it, I didn't mean I wanted visual confirmation, Universe." He growled to himself as he stood up. He opened his door shouting, "Hey! You two! Charge your hormones elsewhere!" The blonde and the brunette shot out of the foliage like a couple of deer. August sighed and closed the door. "Just like a couple of teenagers." He grumbled to himself, but as the thought crossed his mind a second time- he couldn't help but smile.

Leeroy sat on the sidewalk leaning against a building on the edge of town. He had started his drinking early today. Things with his fairy girlfriend weren't going too well. "Stupid nun." He growled as he took another swig of whiskey. He heard laughing and looked up, coming out of the woods was Emma, almost completely naked with her arms holding clothes up in the air, shouting something inaudible. He saw Regina's head poke out of a bush and run at the Sheriff. She was in her underwear. Leeroy's mouth dropped. She nearly tackled Emma trying to get her clothes back, Emma danced around holding them above the brunette's head. Leeroy gasped in disbelief when he saw the Mayor titty-twist the Sheriff causing her arms to drop. Gathering her clothes, Regina ran giggling back into the foliage, Emma hot on her tail. Leeroy stood up, eyes wide. "They're… _together?!_" He looked at the foliage, down at his whiskey bottle, back up at the foliage, and back to his bottle. He smashed the whiskey and started running full speed to Granny's. When he finally arrived he barged in the door out of breath, but managed to yell, "BIG NEWS, EVERYONE!" Everyone in the diner went silent and stared at their unofficial town-crier. "THE MAYOR AND THE SHERIFF ARE HAVING SEX!" He cried as he flung his arms open as if he were saying, "ta da!" He smiled wildly around at the diner, but everyone just blinked at him silently.

"Yeah, we know." Said Doctor Whale with a smarmy smirk.

"They moved in together nearly a year ago." Said Belle with an eyebrow raised.

"They've been dating for a while now, Leeroy." Chimed in the Blue Fairy.

"Here, Leeroy, have some coffee." Said Granny as she put her arm around the now extremely disappointed dwarf. He was always the one to first give the big news. He sat down at the counter with his head hung low.

Jefferson and Grace sat back from their telescopes laughing.

"More tea, Papa?" said Grace standing up from her telescope.

"Please and thank you, Sweet Gracie."

"Things are _finally_ getting good in this town." Said Grace from the kitchen.

Jefferson simply smiled and repositioned his telescope.


	12. Chapter 12: Sunflowers and Roses

"I love you."

Regina smiled, opening her eyes she could just make out two large green eyes staring at her.

"Mmm." She replied, pulling her arm around the Sheriff- moving her closer. Emma placed her hand on Regina's cheek, slowly moving her thumb over the brunette's features.

'I mean it. I really do love you." She whispered. At this second declaration of affection, Regina rubbed her eyes and stared hazily at Emma who watched her intensely.

"And I love you." She replied, bringing her finger up to poke Emma's nose. The blonde smiled and pulled Regina into a nook under her chin as the two fell fast asleep.

Regina lay in the arms of the Savior, _her_ Savior. She listened to Emma's slow, rhythmic breathing as she softly ran her fingers up and down the blonde's arm. How could she be this lucky? She thought of the time just after the curse broke, when everyone was out for her head, except Emma. Though some sliver of her must have wanted to join in the angry mob, she didn't. Out of a sense of duty, justice, and love- how… _charming_. Regina rolled her eyes and gave a small internal laugh. "How absurd," she thought, "me and a Charming." Her mind drifted to Snow. She had really been making an effort to befriend Regina, though Regina really didn't want to be friends. But it would make Emma happy, so Regina accepted casual lunch dates and walks in the park with slight reservation. By the third or fourth lunch date, Snow had stopped bringing her bow and arrow with her, being a protective mama bear. And all this time she thought David would fill the role of the overprotective parent, but he was surprisingly very easy going about the whole situation. He always offered to take Henry out if Regina and Emma needed time alone, or pick up extra shifts for Emma at the station. She thought of her own parents and how they would react. She shuddered at the thought. "I don't want to think about that, not now." She thought as her fingers continued to run up and down Emma's arm, circling around each freckle, smoothing each crease of skin. "This is the woman I'm going to marry." She whispered to herself. Emma stirred and Regina held her closer.

Emma and Henry sat at the kitchen counter with sleepy eyes and groggy mouths. Regina moved about the room making breakfast and talking about the schedule for the day. The Sheriff could barely pay attention to anything the woman was saying, she was too busy watching the brunette's body sway and move around the kitchen. She loved the way Regina would push her dark hair behind her ears, the way she'd bite her lip trying to remember a spice or herb to add to the meal, her cute little apron with a silver crown embroidered on the front, the way she'd brush Henry's head off the counter and place a mug of coffee in front of the now seventeen year old, how she'd flick her wrist after adding a dash of salt to the omelets, how she served everyone before serving herself.

"Are you listening, dear?" Emma snapped out of her thoughts and nodded at the brunette. Regina continued to talk as she added salt to her omelet, flicking her wrist. Emma smiled. After eating, Regina stood up promptly and began cleaning the kitchen as Henry shuffled upstairs with Emma behind him. She stopped and turned around watching the brunette scurry around the room, cleaning and nit picking every little detail of the room. How did she get so lucky? "This is the woman I'm going to marry." She whispered to herself.

Every Saturday, Emma meets her father at Granny's for lunch. David was already sitting in the booth with their drinks when in stumbled a rough-looking Sheriff Swan. David eyed his daughter and saw she was covered head-to-toe in dirt and grass stains.

"What happened to you?"

"Oh," Emma gave a little laugh and brushed off some dirt. Granny shot a disapproving glare her way, "I, uh… I was getting this cat out of a tree and I thought I saw Regina across the street and got distracted, lost my footing and fell."

David let out a huge laugh that filled the diner, "That happened once with me and your mother. Except she fell out of a tree thinking she saw a certain dashingly charming prince across the river." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"Ew. Can we not?" Emma said hastily. David smiled and flagged Ruby down to order. Ruby slid over to the table with a mysterious smile on her lips.

"Everything alright, Rubes?" Emma said looking up at her.

"Oh yes, everything's fine. How about _you?_"

"Fine. Just, you know, fell out of a tree." Ruby nodded with her smirk held firm.

"Okay seriously, what's with the smirk?" Ruby glanced over at David and then back at Emma.

"Well, during the full moon a couple nights ago I was out running and I thought I saw a naked Mayor and a naked Sheriff in the forest." Emma and David choked on their drinks at the same time.

"Ew, Ruby… can we not?" David said as he wiped his mouth. She laughed devilishly and sauntered back to the kitchen. She always got a kick out of throwing the sex life of Emma and Regina in front of David and Snow. She couldn't help but giggle at the way their eyes widened and faces scrunched up.

"Aaaanyway." Said Emma glancing back up at her father who gave her an extremely parental scolding with his eyes. "Sorry." She said shrugging her shoulders.

David sat back and smiled, "You look happy."

"Yeah? Well, I am. I really am."

"So, everything's going well with Regina?"

"Yeah, actually. Everything's amazing." Emma beamed. "More than amazing." Emma pressed her hands around her drink, scooting it around. "Actually, I was thinking of asking her to marry me." She braced for a wave of anger from her father, but to her surprise he lept to his feet and gave her a huge embrace.

"Oh my god, Emma that's wonderful news!" he said ecstatically.

"Yeah?"

"Yes!" David gave a huge signature Charming smile and scooted back to his side of the booth giving a big sigh.

"Thanks, dad. Really, this means a lot to me." Charming blushed, she didn't often call him, "dad" and he knew that when she did she was being sincere, and what she said was heart felt. "I was really worried about your reaction, and it's a huge relief to see that you're happy about it."

"Of course! You've been together for a while now, and I couldn't be more thrilled, but…" his voice trailed off. Emma noticed and her happy bubble burst immediately.

"But… what? She said shakily.

"Well, it's just… your mother."

"Oh."

"Yeah." The two drifted into silence, looking out the window.

Saturday afternoon became a regular walk in the park day for Regina and Snow. They had both started really enjoying the walks, though neither wanted to admit it. As time passed they were able to ease into a kind of limited friendship that exists between former arch nemeses. They initially began the Saturday walks to appease Emma, but they steadily grew accustomed to each other's company. The first couple Saturdays were spent in silence with a few passing comments, the next consisted of arguments, followed by a period of understanding- and from there began a new chapter in the life of the former queen and Snow White. As Emma was stumbling into the diner to meet her father, Regina and Snow settled on a bunch in the city park. They had found a topic they could both laugh about: Archie's impassioned speeches about the preservation of nocturnal insects of Storybrooke. As silence fell between the two, Regina decided it was time to break the news.

"Snow, there's something I've been meaning to discuss with you." Snow's ears perked up and her face dropped at the sudden change of tone in the Mayor's voice. "We are both from the old land where there are certain customs and laws that appear old-fashioned in this world." Snow's mind reeled, what could she be getting at? But after that sentence, Regina fell silent.

"Regina, what is it?" the mayor shifted a glance at her former nemesis.

"Like I was saying, we come from a land with old-fashioned customs, which is why I wanted to…"

"To?"

Regina stiffened and said in a very confident voice, "I would like to ask your permission to marry your daughter." At this, she turned facing Snow front on. Snow stared at her with her mouth open, then shifted her glance downwards and sat in silence. It seemed like the two sat in silence for eternity until Snow finally opened her mouth and mumbled, "If it's what Emma wants." Regina's heart soared. Snow looked up at the former queen and saw the joy in her eyes, she took Regina's hand in her own and said, "We've come a long way. I know Emma loves you… do you love her?"

"With every fiber of my being." Replied the mayor, tears coming to her eyes. Snow had never seen Regina so vulnerable and open- it was both a little unnerving and endearing. But it was just what Snow needed to see.

"You have my blessing." She nodded firmly. Regina sighed and laughed. She never thought she would be asking something like this, especially not to Snow. Regardless of her answer, Regina would still ask Emma, _naturally, _but her old world sensibilities required inquisition.

"I suppose it's good I didn't ask you while you had your bow and arrow."

Snow gave out an unexpectedly loud laugh at that comment. She gave Regina's hand another squeeze and the two women sat in silence once again.

"So, do you know how you want to ask her?" said Snow starting to feel the excitement for her daughter's happiness. Regina lifted an eyebrow and smiled.

"Okay, David, so the plan is to cover the room with red roses just like the one I gave her when we first started dating. "

"You called that dating?"

"Whatever." She jokingly punched her dad in the arm and continued explaining her plan.

"Covering the room in sunflowers? That's so romantic." Snow cooed. Regina couldn't help but feel a little disgusted by how gushy Snow had gotten- especially when referring to Regina as _romantic_. Sure it's romantic, but she didn't want Snow to _say_ so.

"So, Em. When are you going to ask her?"

"Tonight." Emma gave a sheepish smile and blushed.

"Tonight." Said Regina suppressing a smile and trying to explain her plans in a business-like manner instead of buddy-buddy. Snow smiled wildly at her.

The bell chimed at the flower shop and the owner came hastily to the front.

"Madam Mayor!" said Belle excitedly. Since she and Emma had gotten together, Regina had become her most loyal customer. "Can I get you the usual?"

"Actually, dear, I was thinking something bigger." Belle internally jumped for joy. "I'm going to need a lot of sunflowers."

"A lot?"

"_A lot_."

Belle stood behind the register still processing how much money the Mayor had plucked down when Emma strolled into the shop.

"Emma!" Belle said with an all-knowing giant smile. She was waiting for Emma to come in any minute after Regina left. She found it almost creepy how similar they thought. "Can I get you the usual?"

"Actually, Belle, I'm thinkin' much, much bigger. I'mma need every red rose you have in the shop." Belle's smile widened as humanly possible.

Regina was halfway home when she realized she forgot to buy extra candles. She pulled a u-turn and came flying back the other direction. She wanted to beat Emma home and get everything set up. Just as she was leaning more into the gas pedal, a yellow VW bug shot by her, she and Emma locked eyes and their mouths open- both seeing that their cars were full to overflowing with flowers. Regina held her gaze a bit too long and her car went tumbling into a ditch.

She opened her eyes and could only see yellow and red blurs. Her head pounding. Her eyes finally focused and she noticed she was in the hospital. Every shelf, table, and inch of floor covered in bright yellow sunflowers and deep red roses- candles flickered around the space. She narrowed her gaze and found the Sheriff sitting at the foot of the bed in a hospital gown of her own, smiling brilliantly at her.

"Good morning, starshine." She smirked. Regina gave a small laugh at Emma's comment and sat up in the bed, holding her bandaged head.

"Wha-what happened?"

"You crashed, baby." Emma smiled. It was then that Regina focused on Emma's hospital gown.

"Oh my god, did you crash too?"

"You don't' recognize Old Faithful?" Emma said pulling at her gown. A while back after a particularly _interesting_ evening with Regina she started referring to her old hospital gown as "Old Faithful." Regina smiled.

"The sunflowers."

"Salvaged from the wreck. After you, of course." The two women shared a laugh. Emma slid around the bed to sit next to Regina.

"Regina Mills, I love you."

"I love you."

"Forever and ever."

"Forever and ever." Regina repeated. Emma took the brunette's hands in hers and kissed her knuckles softly.

"Regina Mills, I can't imagine a world without you. Having you by my side is what completes me. I have spent my life searching for home, and when I wake up and see your beautiful face next to mine and feel your arms around me, I know I'm home. I am born in your eyes, I live for you, I love you because when you are near- the whole world is meaningful. I had been dreaming about you every night, but ever since we've been together I've never wanted to be awake more because you're right there. You are my dream." The most eloquent silence passed between them as Emma wiped a few tears from her cheeks reaching under her gown and pulling out a little box. She opened it and Regina's eyes filled with tears, "Regina Mills, will you marry me?" Regina pulled at Emma's gown and drew their lips together. "That better be a yes." Regina laughed and nodded her head stretching out her finger as Emma slid the band up her digit. They broke from kissing for a moment long enough for Regina to ask Emma to bring her purse. Opening it feverishly and sliding her hand around, the Mayor pulled out a little box of her own.

Taking in Emma's eyes she said, "Emma Swan. I never thought I would ever have another person in my life that I could love so full heartedly. I love every nook and cranny of your soul. You're so thoughtful you never let me go a day without reminding me that I am loved. Why do I love you? Because you are, and always have been, my dream. Will you marry me?" Regina opened her box and Emma launched at her. Her hands were shaking so hard that Regina barely managed to slide the ring up her finger. They slid into each other's arms and cried tears of joy into each other's hospital gowns.

"They both said 'yes'!" a nurse with her ear pressed against the door whispered behind her to the other dozen nurses and Dr. Whale eagerly waiting. Dr. Whale immediately reached for his phone and sent the news off to Ruby. After hearing about the crash, nearly every Storybrooke citizen heard about a suspected proposal and gathered at Granny's waiting for the news. Regina and Emma's relationship had turned into the town soap opera, and everyone was wishing for a happy ending. Ruby's phone rang and the room went silent. She read the message three times before shouting, "IT'S A YES!" The diner erupted in thunderous applause.


	13. Chapter 13: Doilies

"I swear, if you say the word 'doily' one more time I am going to freak."

Regina pursed her lips and glared at her fiancé. The two had been bickering about every little wedding detail for the last three months. It all started when Regina brought home a giant, white, wedding-specific planner. At first Emma had been excited about it- they would sit together in the dining room table for hours sifting through wedding magazines marking favorites and labeling options under each category inside the book. But the well-organized Mayor lost the Sheriff's attention at napkin folding, the typographical structure of name cards, and doilies. _Doiles._ The very word made Emma's body clench up in aggravation. Regina had spent the last three days picking up doily samples and running each of them by Emma- attempting to discuss them in detail as if a specific lacey pattern would change the whole ambience of the wedding. What began as sheer boredom quickly elevated to annoyance and then full-blown rage. The two women would now spend hours screaming at each other about doilies. They now sat at Granny's glaring at each other, Regina's large white book on the table between them. She was hardly ever separated from that thing. Its time will come to be the main topic of an argument, but as for right now- doilies.

"_Excuse me?_" whispered Regina her eyes instantly reverting to attack mode.

"If you say _that_ word one… more… time… I am going to flip… my… shit." Emma carefully enunciated as she sat straight up on her side of the booth with her arms folded.

Regina sat up to mirror her fiance's stance. Raising her eyebrow and piercing Emma with her unrelenting gaze, she said, "I, dear, am trying to plan _our_ wedding. I don't exactly see _you_ helping"

"I was helping, _Regina_, but then you started getting weird about stupid things like tea cozies, tablecloth fabrics, and…" she growled, "_doilies_."

"'_Stupid things?'_" Regina repeated, still piercing Emma's eyes with her own. "Are you telling me that our wedding… is stupid to you?"

Emma's eyes lit up, her nostrils flaring, "You gotta be fucking kidding me." Her voice had raised a little, catching the ears of the others in the diner. Regina noticed the watchful eyes and intently listening ears.

"Home. _Now._"

The drive home was completely silent, both women fuming- ready to unleash. Just as the front door clicked behind them, Regina turned on Emma.

"What the _hell_ is your problem?"

"My problem? _My _problem? You're the one that is obsessing over shit that nobody is even going to fucking notice."

"I am planning a wedding. All of these things are part of planning a wedding. Every little detail is important."

"Oh really?" Emma turned and walked into the dining room where large boxes of swatches, pattern samples, card stock, and label makers sat neatly on the coffee table. She picked up a fistful of cards displaying napkin styles and turned to her fiancé, "So, you're telling me that the outcome of our wedding is completely dependent on whether or not we choose to fold our napkins Bistro style or Blossom style?" she threw the cards down and reached for another stack of cards covered with descriptions of fabrics, "Or if we choose muslin or Egyptian cotton for our table cloths?" Throwing the cards to the ground she started sifting around the boxes angrily throwing things out, "Oh how about a beige name card with 17th century French Baroque font, or would you prefer the slightly off-white eggshell color with hard pressed Roccoco embossment, hmmm?" Regina clenched her arms around her big, white book, digging her fingers into its sides- her eyes completely up in flames. "None of this matters, none of this even…" and then she saw them. Enemy number one: _doilies_. Red, hot, sizzling rage jumped up her spine and before she knew it she was chucking the box across the room, it crashed into a wall- doilies flew everywhere.

"Oh that's _real_ mature, Emma."

"Oh MATURE, is it? OKAY, WATCH ME BE MATURE!" She stormed to the stereo and blasted rock music, angrily shouting along and air guitaring simply to piss Regina off. The brunette's fingernails penetrated the cover of her big, white wedding book- becoming so completely livid she didn't know what to do with herself. Just as Emma started stomping up and down on the couch finishing the last verse of an ACDC song, she turned to send Regina an angry glare when she noticed her fiancé was no longer in the room. She stood still, suddenly noticing the mess she had made in the living room. "Fuck."

The whole day passed with no Regina in sight. Emma had cleaned up the living room and searched every inch of the house. No Regina. She called her cell phone, no answer. She tried calling Henry, but his phone was off- he was out camping with his grandfather and probably didn't have any reception anyway. She called Granny's, Belle's, the Mayor's office, and everywhere else she could think of. Then she had an idea: Jefferson. The phone rang only once before a smarmy-sounding voice appeared on the other end.

"Sheriff Swan. I was wondering when you'd think to call me."

"Ugh, you're so creepy. Look, I know you and your daughter do that weird thing where you watch the town with telescopes, and I was wondering if you could tell me if you've seen Regina anywhere?"

"Perhaps, but why should I help you?" Emma looked out the window knowing that he was staring at her through his telescope as they spoke.

"You're going to tell me or else I'll come up there and arrest both you and Grace for invasion of privacy."

"Is that even a real thing?"

"It could be." She said glaring out the window.

"Fine. There was a puff of purple smoke by the toll bridge about five hours ago."

"Thanks."

"Good luck, Sheriff. That argument looked like a nasty one, but if you want my opinion- I'd say you were in the wrong."

"What? Don't… God you are so damn creepy." She hung up the phone and flipped Jefferson off through the window.

When she arrived at the toll bridge, she saw Regina sitting with her ankles locked over the side of the bridge, hugging her big white book. Emma cautiously approached as Regina whirled her head around. Emma's heart sank. The brunette's eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her mascara running down her cheeks. Her lips curled up in a snarl as she clung to her book and whipped her head away from Emma. The blonde walked closer and slumped down a few inches from her fiancé, her legs dangling over the edge. Regina quickly wiped her cheeks and straightened up, not wanting Emma to see that she had been crying.

"What are _you_ doing here?" breathed Regina without moving her eyes from their locked position away from Emma.

"I was really worried about you. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"And how exactly did you know where to find me?"

"A psychotic pervert with a telescope told me." She said with a goofy grin hoping it would lighten the mood. It didn't. Regina's eyebrows knitted together in disgust suddenly remembering Jefferson and his voyeuristic tendencies. She couldn't help but be a little impressed with her Sheriff's resourcefulness. But no don't think about that, she's supposed to be mad at her.

"I chose this spot because I assumed nobody would think to look for me _here_ of all places." She said knowing that this spot was considered to belong to Snow and Charming.

"Look, Regina, I'm really- really sorry." Regina finally looked up at her fiancé.

"You really hurt me, Emma."

"I know. And I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, and over something so silly too." At the word silly, Regina's eyes pierced into Emma's.

"_Silly?_"

"Oh, no Regina I didn't mean it like that… I mean… I just, come on. I was just getting really annoyed with how you were obsessing over every little detail like it would all make some huge difference. You couldn't talk about anything else but swatches, color combinations, and all that other stuff. I just got a little irritated and I'm sorry." Regina shifted her eyes down to her big, white book- fingering it softly.

"I suppose I may have overreacted to your somewhat cantankerous method of emotional expression." Emma gave a tiny smile, she knew that was Regina's backhanded way of apologizing. "But I need you to understand that I never had a wedding of my own."

"But what about…" Regina's eyes shot back to Emma.

"That was a wedding, yes- but not _my_ wedding. It was a complete and utter farce to appease a lonely king, a selfish little girl, and an ignorant mass of peasants." Her eyes burned with painful memories. "None of it was for me. All I was allowed to do was show up to take my place in their little charade. And now I finally have a chance to create a wedding for me and the person I love. One that is just for you and me. I just wanted everything to be beautiful and perfect." Emma looked at Regina, her eyes filling up with understanding and self-loathing.

"I didn't even think to consider that." She paused lifting her arm up circling around the brunette's shoulders. "I suppose for me, I just thought saying our vows would be the only important part. If I'd known you wanted the whole shebang I would have taken all of those things a bit more seriously. But to be honest, I don't know shit about any of that." She smiled at the small grin that appeared on the brunette's lips. She kissed the top of Regina's head, "Now let's talk some doilies, hmmm?" Regina gave a little laugh as Emma opened the big, white book placing it across both their laps. "Now where did that cool spirally-looking one go…"


	14. Chapter 14: Granny

A/N: Greetings,  
I know I've been somewhat of a silent-author and haven't been doing any AN's or replying to many reviews, but I'm here now! Yay!  
I had a lot of fun with Chapter 11 and showing Regina and Emma's relationships from the perspectives of different residents, so I thought I would expand on that a little bit. This chapter revolves around Big Mama G (aka Granny). Throughout my story she's been somewhat of an all-knowing outside figure, so I thought I would bring in a little Granny character/story and who she is as a resident and (in my opinion) a key figure in Storybrooke as a functioning society.

Non-related note: Got some feedback about Jefferson and Grace in CH11, yes I intended their set up as voyeurs to be a bit creepy, but silly. Storybrooke to me has a lot of suspect individuals whose strange habits and set-ups are rarely addressed in fics, so I thought I would tell what I liked to think happened with post-curse Jefferson/Grace. And use it as a possible spin-off fic.

Anyway, thank you for reading! I'm happy that so many people are latching on to this silly, little, romantic-comedyesque fic. I would like to hear everyone's thoughts and possibly get some constructive criticism. Shout out to JQUACKERS. Tell it like it is, friend.

-MLEther

Punctuality, patience, diligence, courage. This is her credo, her mantra. When she was a child, her grandfather pulled her onto his lap and taught her the most important lesson of her life, "Always be watchful, and don't stand by and let people act a damn fool." She sat in bed smiling to herself, thinking about that old man with his grizzly long white beard, rough workman hands, and bouncing icy blue eyes. She loved sitting on his lap and watch his chewing tobacco-covered whiskers jump up and down as he would recount little tales about foxes, owls, mice, and all the other forest creatures that surrounded their small world. The sun crept into her window, whipping her out of nostalgia and straight back into working mode. "Time to open." She flung the covers off and marched to the adjoining room. Swinging the door open widely she bellowed, "Time to get up, Rubes! We've got a town to run!"

In a small way, Granny liked to think that she actually _did_ run the town. If all the incriminating things she overheard suddenly grew wings and took flight, the whole town would crumble in utter chaos. It wasn't her fault that the citizens of Storybrooke constantly felt compelled to conduct their extremely personal business in her very public diner. She also couldn't help the fact that her wolf blood granted her with a sharpened sense of hearing. She often considered this trait a gift, except when Dr. Whale would stride in like a peacock to meet some poor unsuspecting woman for a date.

After getting dressed, she marched back to Ruby's room for her second wake-up call, She then proceeded to walk down the stairs to the diner. She gripped the rail as she moved slowly down the staircase. _When did I get so old?_ She thought to herself. "HA! What am I talking about? I'm exactly the age I need to be!" She said out loud to herself. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she flipped a few switches and the lights of the diner came on. "Oven on, grill on, stoves on. Coffee on." She walked into the refrigerator and pulled out crates of produce, beginning prep work. Half way through peeling a pile of potatoes, she heard Ruby stumble down the stairs and come yawning into the kitchen. She whipped out a mug and poured coffee for her granddaughter. She never drank coffee. She was very adamant about not depending on substances, with the exception of her occasional pipe smoking after a long day.

She watched her granddaughter shuffle into the next room to begin setting up. Ever since the curse broke, she had started looking at her granddaughter in a whole new light. Either it was the curse or the mere passage of time that altered her Ruby, but she no longer saw a naive little girl, instead she saw a confident, sassy, and kind young woman. She liked the sassy part the best, though she would never admit that to Ruby. She smiled to herself as she dumped a heap of bacon on the stove, ten minutes until opening and Leeroy will be here first thing for his plate of bacon.

She knew everyone's schedules like clockwork. Leeroy was always first to arrive. He would get a plate of bacon and two thick cups of coffee with a dash of sugar. Next would be the Blue Fairy, she would pick up a bagel and chamomile tea, Archie would arrive later for a well rounded breakfast while he read the newspaper, then the rest of the dwarves would stumble in for their coffees and sausages, on weekends Charming would stroll in grabbing a couple frothy lattes and some pastries.

Ruby pulled the blinds open, flipped the sign on the door to "open," and the door immediately chimed. Granny could hear Leeroy's heavy feet shuffle across the floor as he took his usual place at the counter. The morning went as it usually did, same orders, same faces, minimal conversation… lunch was usually when all the action happened.

Promptly at noon, Belle would be the first to arrive. Ruby would take a short break before the rush to gossip with Belle. Granny never took a liking to gossip, if she did- oh the things she could tell. But she's no sadist. She's seen enough of the world and the humans that occupy it to know that sometimes people need to have humbling moments of stupidity, and they shouldn't be judged for it. It is their character, and the manner in which they conduct themselves in dire situations that proves to her who they really are.

Next to arrive would be the Mayor or the Sheriff. One of them would come in and pick an order up to-go, but ever since they started heavily planning their wedding, the two took to sticking around huddled in a corner booth, draped over that big, white book of Regina's. Granny found it to be utter nonsense, but she knew how the Mayor operated and was often grateful for her sense of thoroughness and attention to detail. She often thanked the gods that Storybrooke is run by women.

Sheriff Swan, with all her clumsiness, was the perfect peace-maker. A little impulsive and about as stable on her legs as Bambi perhaps, but a solid force of protection. Snow, who sat as chair of the reestablished EF council, remained the constant champion of the underdog- a quality Granny admired and felt was rare among the Royals. Blue was incredibly logical, able to observe scenarios from multiple angles. She's awfully rational for a _fairy_. Granny snorted at this thought. She didn't approve of fairies, they put on too much of a flashy show of sparkles and smiley faces. She glanced over at the booth now occupied by the Sheriff and the Mayor. They were wrapped in each other's arms giggling. Emma had put a dab of foam from her cocoa on her nose and Regina licked it off and proceeded to kiss the blonde. Granny rolled her eyes and turned around to polish glasses. "And _that_ giggly little school girl is our mayor." She sighed to herself.

To be honest with herself, Granny actually really enjoyed post-curse Regina. Just after their memories were restored, she was inclined to crossbow Regina through the skull and was a part of the first mob to storm to Regina's house. She quickly became disillusioned after hearing Emma defend Regina, and noticing that the mob was simply a physical manifestation of the Herd Effect. And that, is the one thing Granny fears the most. A group of people irrationally moved to blind anger has caused more damage than any individual throughout history. Sure what Regina did was absolutely awful and Granny wasn't ready to forgive and forget, but her grandfather's words echoed in her ears, "Always be watchful, and don't stand by and let people act a damn fool."

Being one with a difficult past, she felt that in some small way- she could have become Regina if she hadn't suddenly been charged with looking after Ruby. She thought about Henry, and how much Henry alone had changed Regina. A thin line of solidarity between Granny and the former Queen that day, and as the months passed she would often join Emma on the Mayor's porch- crossbow in hand. As more time passed and Regina would occasionally stop by for coffee and something to eat, they would engage in small conversation. It was then that Granny noticed her sarcastic sense of courtesy, her sense of refinement and dignity, her patience, her diligence, and her courage. She was never one for idol gossip, granted most of the gossip would be of her, regardless her questions were always very respectable and Granny admired it.

She was suddenly jolted from her thoughts by a loud slam. Regina had slammed the book shut and was giving her soon-to-be spouse a death glare. _Oh lords_. She rolled her eyes and sat back to watch the almost daily scene unfurl. She could nearly map out the situation without hearing a word, it always went the same way. Emma would cross her arms and jerk her shoulders up and down, Regina would proceed to scan the room before moving in to whisper something while making some sort of condescending gesture (usually poking Emma's shoulder with her index finger), then Emma would push away and her arms would start flailing and she'd start stuttering, Regina would roll her eyes and rub her temples, then Emma would get flustered and storm out leaving Regina alone. Granny watched the scene act out exactly how she had predicted, and just after the Sheriff stormed out the door she began the countdown. "3…2…1…" the door would chime and Emma would shuffle back in and sit next to Regina pulling her close and placing her head on her shoulder. The Mayor would wrap an arm around her and they would quietly resolve the argument, give a quick peck on the lips, and get back to planning before going back to work.

"It's almost creepy how you do that." Came Ruby's voice next to her.

"Comes with the job, Rubes."

"It's like you know Storybrooke inside out."

Just then, the dwarves came bursting through the door laughing and singing, ready for their lunch. Granny rolled her sleeves up and turned her head towards Ruby.

"Honey, I _am_ Storybrooke." She marched back into the kitchen prepared for the onslaught of seven large orders.


	15. Chapter 15: Sunrises

His eyes shot wide open. He glanced over at his alarm clock, 11.17 p.m. He could hear giggling coming from the next room. He groaned. Why does he have to share wall space with a couple of lovesick women? Let alone, his _mothers_. A few weeks after he and Emma permanently moved into the Mayoral mansion, he learned to sleep with his headphones on, walk loudly, and knock heavily on every door before opening it. He, unfortunately, had learned this the hard way. He got home from school one day expecting to find an empty house, but as he rounded the corner to the kitchen, he saw them. His blonde mom completely naked, straddling his equally naked brunette mom on the kitchen counter. He turned on his heel and ran out of the house as quietly as he could. He walked down the street a ways and sat down on the curb in complete shock. The _noises_. His face scrunched up as his eyes darted back and forth trying to find something to focus on. If only he could unsee what he has seen. Since nobody came after him and his phone had no messages, he figured his mothers didn't notice that for a brief unfortunate moment in history, they had an audience.

Henry sat up in bed running his fingers along the sheets for his headphones. Then he remembered he left them in his locker at school. He slumped back to his pillow and the giggling grew louder, followed by some purs he knew came from his brunette mother. Grabbing his pillow he shoved it over his face trying to drown out the noise. He knew his mom could sound proof the room, but she often got… caught up in the moment and would forget. The noises grew louder and he could hear a breathy voice moaning, "Take me, my queen!" There was a slap of flesh and a squeal, then Henry had had it. He was out the door and down the stairs in less than ten seconds.

He strode to the television, flipping it on and scanning channels. There's never anything good on this time of night, just infomercials selling terribly overpriced jewelry. He groaned and switched the television off, scanning the room for something to distract him. He saw a copy of 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that Emma had brought home and decided to start reading. After the first page he was instantly captivated. "A land of magical-realism," he said out loud, "figures." He quickly became enraptured with the voluptuous descriptions and vivacious imagery. The book revolves around the lives of the Buendia family in a fictional land. He quickly drew parallels between the plot of the book and his own life, he started finding characters that were disturbingly similar to people he knew. Jose Arcadio Buendia with his insatiable curiosity and thirst for creation reminded him of Emma, and Ursula with her matriarchal ferocity and practicality almost mirrored Regina exactly. He found himself naturally drawn towards Aureliano, identifying with his mannerisms and traits- that is, he related to him until he was halfway through the novel. The book was so enticing that time slipped through his fingers, and the next thing he knew the sun was rising as he read the last page. He sat in silence really hoping that this book wasn't like his book of fairy tales where everything in the story was real because as turbulent as his past has been, he remained grateful to not be a Buendia.

He slipped onto the back porch to watch the sunrise. As he surveyed the large mass of colors and light spreading across the sky, past memories flooded back. He remembered sitting on the back porch with his brunette mother. It was a sunrise very similar to this one. It was his first day of school and his mom was a bundle of anxiety. She ran around the house packing and repacking Henry's little backpack while he sat on the porch eating his breakfast. She rarely let him eat anywhere besides the kitchen counter or the dinner table, but she was in too much of a panic to bother with something so trivial. She finally emerged on the back porch and started fussing with his hair, he had reached up and took her hand in his tiny one and just continued staring at the sunrise. At this action, Regina paused for a moment and her gaze went from the tiny little hand holding hers up to the sky. The two watched the sun rise over the horizon with a dozen flashes of pink, blue, and gold. It was a brief and beautiful moment Henry cherishes, for it's his first memory.

The next sunrise he remembered was from a couple weeks before his moms realized their feelings for each other. It was a Tuesday morning and Henry walked to the back porch rubbing the sleep from his eyes to find Emma and Regina asleep in separate chairs, the empty Monday wine bottle on the floor between them. They had fallen asleep while talking to each other the night previously. Emma was slumped in her chair with her legs wide open snoring and Regina was curled up in her chair clutching her empty wine glass like a pillow- both of them with peaceful smiles. Henry relished the scene wishing he could wake up like this every day.

His reflections were interrupted when a smooth hand wrapped around one of his hands. He looked up to see his brunette mother smiling down at him. They looked up at the sunrise together, a small tear falling from Regina's face. She shared his first day of school memory and often went back to it for solace. After a few moments, Henry broke the silence, "Why is it that looking out at vast expanses of sky or water always make one so introspective?" Regina raised her eyebrows and looked down at her son.

"Well that's an awfully philosophical question for this early in the morning, dear." He smiled up at her then returned his gaze to the sunrise with a sigh. Regina swelled with pride at her son's rather intelligent and thoughtful question. She truly had no answer for that, though she often reflected on it herself while gazing out at the cold sea. She was never one for taking in large landscapes, for it was just as Henry said, the vast landscapes made her reflect on herself- and in the past that always prompted bad memories.

"Now I know you take after Emma and aren't too much of an early riser. Why are you up so early? Something on your mind, sweetie?" she said as she stroked his hair. Henry sucked at his tongue thinking of whether or not he wanted to tell the truth that last night created another entry in his large book of scarring teenage memories, but he decided the tone of the moment was too peaceful for witty banter and an embarrassed mother.

"No. Just couldn't sleep, ended up reading and lost track of time."

His mother patted his hand and started moving towards the kitchen, "Well it _is_ a school day, dear and you know how I feel about you missing class. But you can stay home and sleep for a couple hours and then ago if you'd prefer."

"Tempting, but we're doing a test prep in my first class and I should probably go."

"Coffee will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks, mom." He started up the stairs to brush his teeth. About a year ago his mom finally let him drink coffee. When he first asked for it, she completely shot him down, but Emma intervened and said that Henry should have to earn it. He had to get straight A's for the semester, and then he would be allowed one cup in the morning. As he stared in the mirror brushing his teeth, he scratched at his stubble. He liked getting older, people were taking him more seriously and he had more freedom to hang out with his friends. As much as he liked growing up, he still pined for simple little gestures from his childhood like how his brunette mother would straighten his hair with her fingers, only to later have his blonde mother jump him from behind and give him a noogy. Those moments were becoming more and more rare seeing as how he is now a full foot taller than both his moms, not to mention he was still a teenager and would be incredibly embarrassed if either mother greeted him in such a fashion in public. He lathered his face and began shaving, he wanted to grow a beard- but his brunette mom completely refused to have her son look like "a scruffy dwarf" for their wedding pictures.

The wedding. It's only a week away now and he can see the tension building in the eyes of his mothers. He refused to take part in any of the planning for lack of interest and the fact that he had to remain a neutral third party to break up their bickering over seating charts. He heard a door creak and the fumbling steps of his blonde mother shuffling from her bedroom. He paused and listened as he heard her move down the stairs, bracing himself for what he knew was about to happen- and sure enough there was a loud "OH SHIT!" and a bunch of garbled noises as his mother tumbled down the stairs like she did every morning. Then a hurried clacking of heels moving from the kitchen to the foyer and some hurried mumbling about "don't want you in crutches for our wedding."

When he finished getting dressed, he moved downstairs and upon entering the kitchen he found his mothers wrapped in a tight embrace. His heart warmed at the loving scene. He had a dream about this a long time ago. When his mother's had initially started getting along, he would have bizarre dreams that would end with some kind of scene of his family. His first dream was his moms wearing each other's clothes and falling back on a bed laughing. That came true the first morning after Emma had officially been invited to stay the night after the intense confrontation with Snow on their doorstep with an arrow pointed at Regina's head. He stood in the hallway watching his two moms hug in the kitchen, feeling comfort and a little disoriented that his second dream had come true. He decided a long time ago not to tell his mothers about his dreams, fearing that saying them aloud would somehow stop them from coming to fruition. As he gazed at another confirmation that his dreams are coming true, he smiled to himself because he felt sure that the last he dream he had was sure to come true. It was of a little girl in their living room surrounded by toys, Emma kneeling over her tickling her while Regina took pictures.

"Morning, kid!" said Emma looking over Regina's shoulder and smiling. He strolled to the counter and sat down holding his mug of coffee up to his mouth. Regina straightened his hair and a split second later Emma was behind him giving him a noogy. He waved them off in a typical irritated teenager manner, but smiled internally. He couldn't believe how lucky he had become.


	16. Chapter 16: Bachelorettes

The plan was that Emma would go out for a wild, traditional bachelorette party with all the usual ladies of Storybrooke and Regina would spend the night with Henry. Though Emma tried to convince Regina to go out with them, the brunette insisted that she wanted to spend her last single night with her son. The blonde reluctantly agreed and before she could change her mind was whisked out of the house by the elbows by Ruby and Belle.

Regina and Henry spent the evening together cooking and eating stuffed bell peppers and wandering down memory lane. They settled on the dining room table listening to music and playing cards- the hours passing blissfully by for the small party of two. Just as Regina let out a large yawn the doorbell rang. "And that's my cue." He said folding his cards and walking to the door. Regina stood up and followed her son utterly confused. When she turned the corner she found Granny standing in her doorway with a bottle of scotch and a couple tobacco pipes.

"I know, I know- you were expecting a stripper. Sorry to disappoint." She said to the Mayor. Regina looked at her and back at her son in confusion.

"No, no… not disappointed. Forgive me, I'm just a little confused."

"Henry and Ruby told me about your plans for the evening and we didn't think it fitting for you to spend your last night as a single lady with a teenage boy and no alcohol. So, here I am." Regina stood looking between the two a little perplexed.

"Don't worry, mom. I had an awesome time with you tonight, I just think you could use something a little out of the ordinary before you settle into married life." He gave her a swift kiss on the cheek.

"Where… where are you going?" she said as her son strode passed Granny and out the door.

"Grandpa's. I'll be home later." He turned back taking in the funny site of Granny and his mother standing next to each other. "Don't get too crazy now, ladies." Both Granny and Regina shot him an "are you kidding me?" look with an eyebrow raised. A shiver ran up his spine, he clicked his heels and sauntered down the street headed to the loft. Granny swung her head around facing Regina.

"Alright, let's bust this sucker open and fire these puppies up. You do smoke, yes?"

"Not very often."

"Well, tonight you will." And with that Granny pushed passed Regina and entered the mansion leaving a shell-shocked Regina to hesitantly close the door and follow.

Ruby had taken Emma's phone away so she wouldn't be constantly texting Regina while they were out trying to have fun. They ended up at the Rabbit Hole and each member of the party found themselves way too sober for the atmosphere. Three beers and six shots later, Emma found herself sandwiched between Ruby and Belle on the dance floor belting out word-for-word a Backstreet Boys song. When the song ended, the floor cleared and a chair was placed in the center of the dance floor. Ruby pushed Emma into the chair and announced, "And now, ladies and gentlemen- the REAL entertainment begins!" Emma looked up at Ruby with wide eyes.

"Ruuubes, we agreed no strippers!" Ruby laughed and backed away to the rest of the crowd, holding her phone up to record Emma's reaction to the performance. Emma put her face in her hands and groaned as the stereotypical bass-heavy stripper music began to play. Then she heard peels of roaring laughter, her head jolted up and her jaw dropped to the floor. Parading out of a red velvet curtain came Grumpy, Doc, Happy, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy, and even Bashful wearing different colored leather bikinis, fishnets, and high heals- strutting to the music. Emma's entire body frozen as she watched the parade of nearly naked hairy men gogo dancing their way to her. Ruby could hardly hold her phone up to record she was nearly falling over with laughter. The only words Emma managed to produce were, "No way," over and over again until the Seven Dwarves circled her and started shaking their thong'd butts against her, then she threw her hands in the air and couldn't stop laughing.

Regina and Granny sat on the back porch of the Mayoral mansion sipping scotch and puffing on their pipes making casual talk. Neither woman really knew how to carry on a conversation with the other. Most of their interactions up to this point had been quick polite conversations in the diner as Regina waited for her to-go order. As the conversation dwindled, Granny caught a glance at Regina who was nervously sipping her scotch and drumming her fingers on her leg.

"You're wondering what Emma's up to aren't you?" Regina looked up at Granny who peered at her over her glasses. "Well, Ruby told me she planned quite the strip show for your fiancé." Regina's eyes flashed up at Granny, she buried her lips in her glass to stop her from saying anything vicious. Granny smirked and continued, "Now before you get carried away, let me explain. It's the Dwarves." Regina chocked on her drink and started coughing.

"What?" she said hoarsely still patting her chest.

"Yup. Picture should be coming in any minute now." She whipped out her cell phone and stared at the screen. Regina's eyes glittered and smirked at the idea of Granny having a cell phone. Just then there was a beep and Granny opened her phone and let out a low, guttural chortle handing the phone to Regina. Sure enough, there was her fiancé being straddled by a nearly naked Happy while Grumpy and Doc pressed their hairy chests into the sides of her face, while the others grinded her with their butts. Regina let out a jarringly enormous laugh that filled the backyard as Granny cackled along with her. The brunette quickly forwarded the picture to her cell phone and promptly saved it. "Oh, remind me to leave a _very_ large tip for Ruby." She sighed as she wiped tears from her cheeks. The two women sat back in their chairs more at ease having shared that moment, letting out an occasional chirp of delayed laughter. Regina refilled her glass and relit her pipe, poking small holes in the bowl as she puffed. "I'm glad I'm not Emma right now." She sighed.

"What you have something against hairy dwarf ass?" The two laughed feeling more comfortable with each other.

"I'm perfectly happy where I am." Regina said taking a big sip from her glass. "This fits me just right. Who knew we had something in common? You have excellent taste in liquor, by the way." Granny raised her glass accepting the compliment.

"I used to dabble in alcohol processing back in the Enchanted Forest as a teenager. Drove my parents absolutely _wild_." She chuckled to herself. Regina raised her head and looked over at the woman on her porch, she realized she hardly knew anything about her, let alone who she was or what she did in the Enchanted Forest.

"Really?"she said inquisitively.

"Oh yes. I was quite the little trouble-making vixen back in the day." Her face tightened and her eyes looked out as if she were watching the past. "If I had known the kind of trouble my actions got me in, I probably would have pulled back a tad." She polished her glass and poured another, much fuller helping of scotch. Regina noticed the change in her tone and that it indicated that she didn't want to go into detail, so the mayor refrained from prying. Granny kicked up her feet and puffed a couple smoke rings into the air, Regina answered them with smoke rings of her own.

"Well, well, well… look at the hidden talents of Madame Mayor."

"Call me, Regina." The mayor said giving a pleasant smile. Granny nodded. Regina suddenly realized there was another important aspect of Granny she didn't know, "What is your first name, anyway?"

"Just call me Granny." The woman said without skipping a beat. "It's a name that has gained me a lot of respect over the years and I want to get all the use out of it that I can. Besides, it's who I am now. Regina nods with understanding. Granny continued, "For some reason, people feel the need to project a specific image on another person, someone else gives that image a name that sticks and pretty soon you start acting like that projected image and even begin to believe it yourself until eventually you become that person." Regina's muscles tensed up and she took a large gulp, knowing-and having experienced- what Granny was talking about. She understood all too well.

"I remember when you became Queen, you know." Regina looked up with wide eyes at the old woman. Nobody had ever spoken to her about this before, least of all a villager. "Everyone was celebrating the arrival of the new queen. Bunch of pomp and circumstance if you ask me, no offense."

"None taken, dear." Replied Regina, her eyes darkening with memories. "That's how I remained. I was never simply, the Queen… I was always the New Queen, a replacement." She became lost in thought puffing on her pipe, the embers glowed red as they reflected in her dark eyes. "I always felt like an outsider in that world. Whenever anyone looked at me, I just knew they were comparing me to _her_."

"Snow White?"

"No. Queen Eva." The brunette said her name with a nasally voice, "The _Good_ Queen, the _Saint_, the _People's_ Queen." She downed her glass and poured another. Granny searched Regina's face, knowing all too well the feeling of being an outsider, always being compared to something else. Helpless to control the situation.

"I never could sympathize with royals. Prancing about like prim, proper ponies with their flashy carriages and unnecessarily large entourage. And I'll tell you this right here and now without regret that Queen Eva was the worst of them all." Regina's head looked up, her eyes showed her shock and disbelief. "Oh yes, she was quite the prissy aristocrat before she had Snow. She and Leopold used to tour the kingdom, pretending to care about the needs of the common folk, talking with them, handing out empty half-hearted promises like confetti." Regina couldn't suppress the smug smile that spread across her face. She had never heard anything quite like this about Queen Eva.

"They were due to visit my village and every single person worked day and night for two weeks to prepare for the _royal arrival_. When their fancy carriage pulled into my village, the Queen took one look at the muddy road and absolutely refused to step out of the carriage. She didn't want to get her pretty little shoes dirty. The villagers rushed around finding wooden planks to lay on the ground for Leopold to walk on. He strutted around like an over-stuffed turkey making all this pretty talk about faith and hope." Granny snorted into her glass, but Regina didn't say a word. She wore a small smile as she remained transfixed with this woman's story. For her entire life she had only heard everyone talk about Eva and Leopold as if they had somehow transcended the material essence of god. Nobody had ever spoken like this.

"Even with the wooden planks Eva refused to get out of the carriage. She simply sat there waving her fan in front of her nose, looking up and down at all the villagers with her nose curled. And after a whole two minutes of condescending platitudes, the two were roaring out of the village- leaving weeks of hard labor and sacrifice in the mud behind them." She took another large gulp and turned to Regina, "At least when you came to villages you got your feet dirty." The smile dropped from Regina's face and she coyly nipped at her drink.

"Yes, but I wasn't there for speeches of hope."

"No you certainly were not." Granny sighed. She swished scotch around her mouth for a couple minutes before turning to the now uncomfortable bachelorette, "To tell you the truth, Regina, nobody really even _knew_ you. You were always hidden up in that castle… we saw Leopold and Snow plenty, but never you."

"Yes, well, I couldn't exactly leave." Replied Regina nervously scratching her neck.

"_Couldn't_? What do you mean by that." Regina focused her eyes on her feet.

"Well, my mother, she…" Granny could hear her voice get a little shaky and understood.

"Say no more." She said with a wave of her hand. Regina gave a grateful smile and skipped the part with her mother.

"So, by the time I was able to leave, I had already been given a name by the people."

"The Evil Queen." Said Granny looking intensely at Regina whose eyes shifting back to her feet. Granny looked to the backyard, "The Evil Queen. Now there was a broad." She giggled and Regina looked up half hurt yet half amused by the woman's choice of words. She continued, "I never trust what others say about people, I do my own judging in person."

"Did our paths ever cross?" Regina prepared to make a formal apology.

"Well, mine and the Evil Queen's did, yes. She held my village hostage and had us all lined up on the road interrogating us about the whereabouts of Snow White. When I looked at that woman I was truly afraid, not because of her methods of intimidation- no. What scared me was the amount of pain she was in. And a woman with that much misery in her bones is the most terrifying thing of all. When I watched her stride back and forth sizing up each villager, I saw myself reflected in her eyes. I too held the same smoldering flame of rage in my eyes for each and every man that hurt me. I saw in her, the vengeance I would have sought had it not been for Ruby. If it weren't for that girl I would have been led down the same path as the Evil Queen, though I must admit a less glamorous and fashionable path, but the same." She gave a small laugh.

Regina stared at the woman as she told her tale, trying so hard to remember which village she had lived in, but it was useless. She had stopped and interrogated hundreds of villages, all of them looking the same to her. She was also trying to process Granny's words of solidarity with her former self. She had identified with the Evil Queen.

"Granny," the old woman looked over at Regina, "In your story, you keep referring to me in the Enchanted Forest as 'The Evil Queen' and 'her.' You do realize that I _am_ the Evil Queen." Her voice faltered a bit at the statement. That title was attached with enough grief and pain to last hundreds of lifetimes. Granny sat up in her seat startling the brunette, her wrinkled face thinned into an expression that almost appeared as if she were outraged by Regina's words.

"I refer to the Evil Queen as the Evil Queen and as no one else. You are _not_ her, Regina. I don't know what happened to the 'New Queen' while she was locked up in that peacock's palace, but I know the person who came out- The Evil Queen. And I know Regina Mills. She's the woman who is disturbingly good at balancing budgets, she is the woman who makes me roll my eyes as she sits in one of my booths giggling like a little school girl with the Sheriff, she is the woman who had enough courage to face her past, rejecting the labels that were thrust upon her- shedding them and stepping out into the dawn of a new, happy life. Regina Mills is _anything bu_t the Evil Queen. Regina Mills is a loving spouse, devoted mother, and dedicated Mayor of a cluster-fuck town called Storybrooke." With that, Granny sat back and gulped down the rest of her drink. Regina sat still, tears on the brim of her eyelids. She had never been spoken to so sternly by a complete stranger, how could a stern lecture feel so cathartic? Granny twisted her head back towards Regina with a small smile on her face as she watched the mayor process her words.

"Lords, that sounded like an epitaph." Granny jested. That broke the tension and Regina let out a couple choppy laughs before taking a deep breath and meeting the wise eyes that saw right through her. She raised her glass towards Granny.

"The Evil Queen is dead." She proclaimed triumphantly. Granny raised her glass.

"Long live Regina Mills." The old woman responded as their glasses met.


	17. Chapter 17: Brides

Snow burst into hysterical tears every thirty seconds.

Emma woke up in her old bed at the loft to the sight of her mother standing at the foot of her bed looking at her with big, watery, doe eyes. She stared at her mother waiting for her to say something, but she simply stood there. Emma finally spoke up.

"Um…" and that's when the floodgates opened. Next thing she knew her mother was on top of her sobbing buckets of tears onto her shoulder. "Whoa, hey, Snow calm down. What's up?" The tiny brunette grabbed at Emma's back, whimpering indecipherable gibberish. After a couple seconds when Snow had reduced to a soft sniffle, Emma was able to make out a few words.

"I-I-jsutsosorry-happy-eause-_daughter_-isgoing-married." She started weeping again and Emma tried to translate what was just muffled into her now completely soaked shoulder. Then it clicked. Married. Emma sprang from the bed so quickly, Snow was unable to catch herself and fell to the floor.

"OH!" Emma screamed, "Ooooh!" she placed a hand over her toothy grin, "I'm getting married today." She whispered to herself. Snow remained on the floor, the sight of her daughter's excitement caused the floodgates to reopen. Emma clutched her blonde curls and pulled at her scalp. "Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!" Charming walked into the room, Emma's head snapped towards him. "HOLY SHIT!"

"AH WHAT?!" Charming screamed jumping back.

"I-babygirl—sob-sob-sobmarried-sobsob" mumbled Snow from the floor.

"AH!" Emma screamed as she launched at her father giving him a giant bear hug. As his daughter squirmed in his arms, pulling at his neck- his eyes darted between his weeping heap of a wife and his squirrelly daughter who then launched herself on top of the bed displaying the most brilliant of signature Charming smiles. Then suddenly her face completely melted into a look of absolute terror. She clutched the sides of her head and sank to the bed. "Oh." She whispered. David still stood in the doorway shifting his gaze between his wife who was now surrounded in a puddle of her own tears and his daughter who had just displayed the quickest change of extreme emotions he'd ever seen. Not sure who to move towards first he chose to go with the closest: Snow. He picked her up from the floor as she continued whimpering. He took her to the kitchen and sat her down in a chair with a box of tissues, and walked back over to Emma's room where she sat in the same horrified position that was eerily similar to _The Scream_ by Edvard Munch. Sitting down next to her, he lifted his hand and started stroking the back of her head.

"Em? You okay?"

"I'm getting married today." She whispered. David's face broke out into a huge smile.

"Yes you are." He gave a brief laugh and pulled his arm around his daughter pulling her into a hug. There was a muffled noise from the kitchen. Snow's voice could barely be heard or understood through the sobs.

"I—I'm-just- thso—happy." Sobs, whimpers, waterworks.

This random addition from the great wailing woman of Storybrooke caused Emma to snap out of her trance with a nervous giggle. Charming gazed fondly at his daughter, remembering how he had acted the same way just before his wedding to Snow. He knew what would make her feel better.

"I was just over at the house dropping Henry's tux off and you know what I saw?"

"Regina? Is she okay? Did she run? Did she make a run for it?!" Emma's eyes were wide and desperate.

"No, one minute she was bouncing around the house with the biggest smile on her face and the next- objects, clothes, and anything else lift able was being tossed down the stairs." He laughed remembering the lamp crashing to the floor followed by about 20 pairs of black pumps.

"What? Why?" Emma seemed legitimately worried, her head filling with irrational thoughts like somehow Regina had gotten abducted by aliens and the Regina back at the house was a clone Robo-Regina who would shoot laser beams out of her eyes.

"I simply meant, that she's freaking out too." He saw the even more worried look in her eyes and clarified, "Em, that's a _good_ thing. You're supposed to freak out a little before your wedding." He could see he wasn't helping. They sat in silence for a minute only hearing a periodical sob or watery mumble from Snow in the other room. "Here, why don't you call her." He grabbed her phone off the nightstand and placed it in her hands. She simply stared at the phone unable to move. Then the screen lit up. Regina was calling. Emma stared at the name. David grabbed the phone and answered for her.

"Grandpa?"

"Henry?"

"What are you doing answering Ma's phone?"

"She uh…" he looked over at Emma who had reverted to _Scream_ mode. "… she couldn't get to it in time. Why are you calling from your mom's phone?"

Henry looked behind him at the huddled figure of his brunette mom as she lay curled on her bed holding Emma's pillow. "I uh, I think she's in shock." David laughed.

"Place the phone next to your mom's ear." Henry placed the phone so it balanced on Regina's cheek, she didn't even flinch. In the meantime, David held the phone up to Emma's ear. "Go on, Em. Say something."

After gulping a couple times, Emma managed to squeeze out a soft, "Hi." A couple moments there was another voice like a rusty squeezebox replying, "Hi." Emma could already feel her nerves receding knowing that the love of her life was on the other end of the phone, but she had to ask, "Are you a robot alien?" There was a pause, and then a voice in full-on powerhouse Regina mode came over the other end of the phone loud and clear saying, "_Seriously?_" Just as Regina had been broken from her trance by Emma's idiotic question, Emma was broken from her trance by Regina's sass. They started to laugh and pretty soon both women were on their feet pressing the phone to their ears, treasuring every audible noise that came over the phone.

"I saw a rather scandalous photo of you and Happy getting down and dirty last night. Should I be worried, dear?" Emma grinned at the sarcasm.

"You caught me. It's true love, Regina. He had me at leather-bikini-wrapped-man-boob." The two women giggled and then there was a pause.

"I love you." Came Regina's soft, calming voice. Emma closed her eyes as tears swelled to the surface upon hearing those words.

"I love you." She choked. She heard a sniffle and knew that Regina had started crying too.

"So, you going to this wedding thing?"

"Perhaps. I don't know if I have anything decent to wear."

"Well, if you find something sexy- come find me. I'll be the one wearing white at the end of the aisle." Emma could feel the brunette's smirk through the phone.

"Duly noted, dear."

"You sure you're not a robot alien?" There was a loud laugh from the other end.

"I'll see you later, darling."

"See ya, babe."

The two women hung up and took deep, calming breaths.

"David, let's go peel Ms. Weeping Willow off the floor- we have a wedding to get ready for."

All of Storybrooke was alive that morning. Granny's kitchens had been heated and pumping out food since the crack of dawn, Belle had a dozen volunteers helping her organize and transport all of Regina's incredibly specific flower arrangement requests, Marco- August- and all seven Dwarves were hard at work in a small clearing in the forest setting up all the furniture for the ceremony, and the Blue Fairy rallied all her comrades plus a few volunteers working tirelessly to set up the reception in the square just outside the clock tower. Even though they were no longer in the Enchanted Forest, the citizens found themselves treating this event like a major royal wedding. The anticipation and excitement grew and grew as the clock tower clicked closer to the appointed hour.

"Mom!" Henry called from the bottom of the stairs. "I'm going to have to run you down the aisle if you don't hurry up and get down he-" his breath caught as his mom appeared at the top of the staircase. "Wow." His mouth hung open as he watched his mother descend. She smiled and pushed his chin up closing his mouth with her index finger. "It isn't polite to stare, dear."

"Well then this is going to be the most impolite wedding on the planet, especially after you see Ma's dress." He smiled as he kissed his brunette mother on her forehead. He pulled the car keys from his pocket and began walking towards the door. Regina stopped him.

"Whoa whoa, what do you think you're doing?"

"Driving the bride to her wedding."

"No, no, _no_. Sweet, but no. This bride is driving herself, thank you very much." She grabbed the keys from his hand, tossed her hair, and marched out the door. He gave a goofy grin at the confident stride of her heels and followed after her.

"Emma! Come on we gotta go!" Charming called from the front door.

"Coming! Coming!" Emma came stumbling into the room barefoot with her heels tucked under her fingers. She straightened up and ran a hand through her hair. She looked up and saw her mother, once again, giving her those big, watery, doe eyes.

"Oh whoa, hold on there. No tears. You promised. No more." Snow pushed her lips together and tried to hold her face as tightly as possible. Charming strolled over and slung his arm over Emma's shoulder placing a kiss on her temple. "You look amazing." Snow started whimpering at the sight. Emma's head snapped up.

"Mom… no." Snow quickly sucked her tears back in, but then her face dropped.

"Did you just… did you just call me?" Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh, E-e-emma!" The tiny brunette ran to her daughter and flung her arms around her. She quickly pulled back and wiped her face, taking a sharp inhale of air through the nose she straightened up to compose herself. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just so happy that we're finally doing something as a family. All of us. We're all here." She laughed as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Emma's anxiety-twisted heart warmed for a minute as she took in the sight of both her parents. It's exactly what she had imagined when she was a little girl in foster care. Her mom making a huge fuss, while her dad stands proudly next to her. Of course they're a lot younger than she had imagined as a child, but it's perfect. Emma sighed one last time before piping herself up, holding her head up and saying, "Let's go do this thing." Butterflies swarmed around her stomach as she and her parents piled into her yellow VW Bug.

All of Storybrooke piled into the small clearing for the big wedding. Though they were expecting a large turn out, they didn't expect it to be _this_ large. It seemed like every single citizen had showed up (with the exception of Jefferson and Grace who watched through their telescopes with a big bowl of popcorn between them). Archie as officiator, stood at the end of the aisle fumbling over his notes. He truly had no idea why he was always chosen to make big speeches. He's just a humble man-turned cricket-turned man who stutters when he's nervous. Though naturally he was always delighted when people thought of him, but when the Mayor approached him and asked him to officiate- he immediately declined. He didn't want to mess up and invoke the wrath of Regina, so he told her it was too big of an event. She simply smiled and told him that it would mean a lot to both her and Emma if he did, seeing as how he was the one that first prompted them to start seeing each other. After that he couldn't refuse. But as he stood at the end of the aisle, facing who knows how many people- he began to sweat nervously, all his notes became indecipherable.

Regina and Emma decided that they would walk down the aisle at the same time so neither of them had to go through the embarrassment of being the center of attention. Technically, there were three aisles. Two short ones leading to the center where Archie stood, and another much longer one that cut through the crowd. She and Regina would each be in a short aisle and walk towards each other at the same time meeting in front of Archie. Everyone took their seats and quieted down as the music started to play. People towards the back of the crowd pulled out their binoculars and started dictating the events to their friends who couldn't see. "Ah! Here come the brides!" one of them whispered, the group rustled with excitement.

Emma nearly fell off her heels as she turned the corner and saw her soon-to-be-wife standing at the other end. Her knees became all wobbly and she leaned on her father for support. Her eyes were immediately drawn to how Regina's dark, glossy hair softly brushed up and down with the breeze. Her gaze moved down to her brilliant red lipstick, then further down to a knee-length, skin-tight plunging v-neck silk dress. She moved back up to meet Regina's glittering brown eyes. Her father patted her hand and circled her arm in his and began to move her steadily.

As Regina and Henry turned the corner arm-in-arm, Regina stopped dead in her tracks. There at the other end of the aisle stood her fiancé in a knee-length, sleeveless, chiffon dress. Luckily for her at the time, she couldn't see the plunging v-neck that slid down the blonde's back. She smiled when she saw Emma in heels, she had done that just for her. Her eyes moved upwards and locked with Emma's radiant eyes that seemed brighter than usual. Regina's face spread into a large white smile, which Emma took note of and blushed while returning a coy smirk. Henry started nudging his mom along, and at last the two women came together in the center in front of Archie. Smiling wildly at each other as they clutched each other's hands, the entire world dissolved around them and all they could see were each other's eyes. Unfortunately for Archie, he could see everything. As he began his introductory words he casually looked up and saw all the faces staring back at him. Hanging on each and every word. His breath grew shallow, the sweat grew on his forehead, his stuttering grew more intense, and then tunnel-vision.

There was a collective gasp from the crowd when Archie's knees buckled and he fainted to the ground. Emma and Regina were the last to notice, but they sat there looking down at the unconscious man with wide eyes. Snow ran up with a fan and began moving it back and forth in front of Archie's face. He was completely blacked out. A look of horror appeared on Regina's face, Emma squeezed her hands tighter and bit her lip. At that moment, Granny stood up from her seat and trudged up the aisle. "I got this." She declared. Charming and Henry grabbed Archie and slid him to a near by tent where Dr. Whale sat eyeballing all the young women in attendance. Granny took Archie's place between Emma and Regina, giving them a wink and saying she became online-certified just in case. Regina gave a long grateful look to Granny before turning back to Emma. With a couple small laughs, they fell silent and resumed where they had left off.

Everything was a complete haze until suddenly they heard Granny's voice boom, "I now declare you, companions for life!" The brides brought their lips together for what was meant to be a chaste kiss until Emma in her excitement launched her arms around her new wife pulling her up into the air. Thunderous applause broke out from the crowd as the two walked down the center aisle together hand-in-hand, as wives. As the new couple moved down the aisle, with each row they passed, people stood up and followed behind them down the aisle until eventually the entire clearing was empty, except for Dr. Archie Hopper who remained lying on the floor of the medical tent. He suddenly jolted awake, looking around he realized he was alone. "Oh no." he whispered.


	18. Chapter 18: Newlyweds

All of Storybrooke marched merrily behind the newleyweds, parading with parasols, handkerchiefs, music, and flowers all the way to the town square. When the mass reached outside the Clock Tower, the Blue Fairy flicked her wrist and a million silver lights sprang to life, jumping up to illuminate the air like fireflies. Large round tables ran along the edges creating a dance floor, at the end stood a long, rectangular table littered with roses and sunflowers. "Whoa." The blonde whispered as her eyes took in the ethereal scene. Months of bickering and letting Regina have her way more than half the times really paid off. The brunette leaned over and kissed her new wife on the cheek, but before words escaped her lips- dozens of hands lifted the new couple into the air and carried them to their seats.

Regina landed as gracefully as possible in her chair while Emma kind of plopped onto hers like a newborn calf. She looked to Regina with wide, confused eyes.

"Enchanted Forest tradition, sorry dear." The brunette smiled.

"A little warning would have been nice." The blonde laughed as she rubbed her sore butt. "Any other fairy tale land traditions I should be forewarned about?" Regina simply smirked and rose to her feet. Raising her arms into the air, the crowd cheered before dying down to hear her words.

"I would like to thank each of you for your tireless effort and hard work to make this wedding and reception a wonderful event." She paused for applause. "Now feel free to reward yourselves with the open bar!" The crowd burst into howls, whistles, and applause as the music started and the bartenders set right to work. Regina sat back down in her chair as Emma licked her lips eyeing the bar.

"Hey, so, when do we get to indulge, eh?" she said elbowing her wife's ribs and wiggling her eyebrows making the brunette smirk.

"Just wait a moment, dear." Regina said as she eyed the crowd like she searched for someone. Emma caught a pang of worry in her wife's voice and eyes like she expected something to go terribly wrong.

"Regina? You okay?" She pressed her hand to the brunette's.

"Just one last tradition to get out of the way, dear." The brunette murmured as her eyes caught what they had been searching for. Emma looked where her wife's eyes were locked. Henry and Snow came scooting away from the crowd, each holding a flute of champagne. They approached the table, Snow standing in front of Regina as Henry took his place in front of Emma. Snow gulped and took a large inhale of air.

"Regina, as is Enchanted Forest tradition, I Snow White, mother of the bride, offer you the first toast." She lifted the flute in the air, "May you and my daughter live happily ever after." She took a sip and handed the flute to Regina who replied with a much more relaxed, "thank you" and sipped from the flute. The two women stared at each other, their collective past flowed between them. Regina rose to her feet, took Snow's hands in her own and gently squeezed. Tears began to pour from Snows eyes as the moment and what it meant to the two women sunk in. Emma's eyebrows raised up her forehead as she watched her wife lean forward and kiss her mother's hands. Without breaking eye contact, the two women's hands lingered together for a moment longer before dropping them and Regina took her seat. Their eyes fell to Henry who was standing with his mouth open.

"Your turn, Henry." Snow said matter-of-factly. Henry's head shook as he blinked and returned to reality.

"Oh, uh, right." He cleared his throat. The three women watched with small smiles as the teenager knitted his brows trying to remember the words. He turned to Emma, "Ma, as is Enchanted Forest tradition, I Henry Mills, temporary stand-in mother of the bride, offer you the first toast. May you and my mother live happily ever after." He grinned at his success and took a larger-than-traditional gulp of champagne. Regina cocked an eyebrow and Emma chuckled taking the flute from her son. "Thanks, kid." She downed the rest and rose to her feet taking her son's hands and kissing them as they both snickered.

"Just _one_ glass, dear." Regina said to Henry watching him quickly eyeball the bar. He nodded, stealing a glance at Emma who winked at him subtly. He kissed his brunette mother on the head while Snow hugged her daughter and the two shuffled off towards the bar.

"That was really, really sweet- Regina." Emma whispered in the brunette's ear.

"It's simply a tradition, dear."

"We both know it was more than that… for you _and_ my mother." Emma squeezed her wife's hand.

"Yes, well- don't expect Snow and I to suddenly climb into bed together every Sunday to watch Game of Thrones."

"Hell no, that's _our_ thing." They laughed and brought their lips together as more guests approached the table to toast to their happiness.

Time passed as quickly as the alcohol flowed throughout the Storybrooke citizens. The crowd got louder and merrier, while the dance floor got fuller and sloppier. Emma and Regina swayed in each other's arms in the center of the dance floor. Pushing a bit of her brunette hair behind her ear, Emma whispered in her wife's ear, "So, when can we bail?" her hand trickled south, brushing at Regina's curves.

"Soon, love. Very soon." The brunette smiled into her wife's shoulder. Emma grinned and looked over Regina's shoulder to see Henry at a table with the dwarves… halfway through what appeared to be a rather intense Enchanted Forest drinking game. Shaking her head and smirking, she subtly swayed her wife away from the view before she could notice, allowing the kid to have his fun and pay for it in the morning.

"Are you happy, dear?" Emma pulled her head from Regina's shoulder and looked into her wife's glistening eyes.

"I don't think I've ever even _been_ happier. Why? Aren't you?" Regina smiled and planted a small kiss on Emma's nose.

"Very."

"Good. You should be cause those doilies look _fantastic_." Regina snorted at the comment. "No really, they'll be the talk of the town." The brunette pulled back and placed her index finger over the Sheriff's mouth.

"I think we better get you home."

"Yes, please." The blonde replied without missing a beat. She locked her fingers with her wife's and allowed herself to be lead away. Emma stole one last glance to the dwarf table and saw Henry arm-in-arm with Happy and Doc, singing and swaying back and forth. She patted Charming on the shoulder as they passed, subtly jabbing her thumb in Henry's direction. He nodded and smiled, making his way over to his now heavily intoxicated grandson.

As they broke away from the party, they instantly slammed together, pulling at each other's dresses. Regina slipped her hands into Emma's hair while two hands found their way to the mayor's ass, clenching desperately. There was a whirl of purple smoke and they were back in the mansion bedroom.

"Good move." Emma said between kisses. Regina hummed in reply as she locked her mouth on the Sheriff's neck, moaning as the grip on her ass tightened- lifting her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around the Sheriff and she let out a moan and a devilish laugh as her back slammed into the vanity. Without lifting her lips from the brunette's impeccable skin, Emma trailed her tongue and lips down each bit of exposed flesh from the jaw down her wife's v-neck dress. Dropping to her knees, she pulled the white silk up her wife's thighs to see that her wife wasn't wearing underwear. She smiled with delight, and Regina cocked an eyebrow and smirked down at her. Without hesitation, Emma plunged directly into the warm folds causing the brunette's back to smash into the vanity, items crashing to the ground. Gripping her breast with one hand, and placing another on the blonde's head trying to steady herself with the rapid warm blows of her wife's tongue, flames licked from her core and surged up her body. Emma's head emerged and latched onto Regina's neck as two fingers jumped in to replace her tongue under the silk dress. Her pace quickened, encouraged by the loud chants of her name and the rhythmic rocking of the vanity against the wall. A loud scream penetrated the room as the mayor crumbled beneath the sheriff.

Emma victoriously lifted Regina's limp body, placing her on the bed and crawling next to her, both out of breath. After a moment's pause, Emma felt her wife's body straddle her, slowly undoing her dress, leaving soft kisses on each newly exposed spot of flesh until she lay out completely naked before the former queen. With one single swoop of her arms, Regina pulled her dress up over her head and flung it to the floor, her eyes glowing like embers as she gazed down at her new wife. She began to grind into Emma's center as her tongue toyed with a hardened nipple. Emma wrapped her hands around her wife's back and dug her nails into the soft flesh becoming lost in a haze of ecstasy, hardly believing her life could be this blissful.


	19. Chapter 19: Pillow Talk

A/N: Hello, friends! I'm overwhelmed by the amount of support I've gotten for this little fluff-packed story. I'm greatly appreciative of the response, but I would also like to hear from you. I've had some good, constructive reviews that have been very helpful, but I'd like to hear more from you. Don't be shy, I'm very open to criticism, suggestions, and ideas for scenes. I would also like to offer a brief shout out to the Guest who wrote a comment recommending a scene between Granny and Regina. It inspired the bachelorette chapter with G and R bonding over scotch and tobacco. Thank you, Guest!

Chapter note: I wanted to write a chapter with as much casual dialogue as possible. I wanted to explore how these two would talk to each other as newlyweds, exploring random little corners of their personalities that don't often get fleshed out when caught up in romance. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

-MLEther

"When was the last time we left this bed?" two fingers stroked blonde curls.

"I think I took a piss a few minutes ago… or an hour ago… or yesterday?" two fingers traced a pattern down elegant curves.

"What's your favorite color?"

"My favorite what?"

"Color." Two soft lips kiss blonde curls.

"Hmmm… I don't know. Blue, maybe. What's yours?"

"Purple."

"Could've guessed that." Two thin lips kiss a collarbone. "Favorite band?"

"Favorite band?"

"Yeah, like music. You spent twenty-eight years in this world before the curse broke, don't tell me you didn't investigate the realm you were in."

"Janis Joplin."

"_Really?_" a brunette head ducks under a blonde head, cheeks flushed. "Wow, that's actually surprising."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Janis seems so… so…"

"Powerful?"

"I was going to say extreme and unrefined. I figured you'd say Wagner or Bach or something."

"She's powerful and raw. She really _feels_ when she sings. And she's no stranger to misfortune." Two fingers brush through dark locks.

"How about Alanis Morissette?"

"Jagged Little Pill."

"Patti Smith?"

"Gloria."

"Gods I love you." Sighs the blonde as she looks proudly into the eyes of her well-musically educated wife.

"How about you, dear?"

"Music for me depends on my emotion. When I would get in a weird kind of existential crisis I would spend a lot of time on rooftops in Boston listening to Richard Strauss, when I was angry I could flip on Children of Bodom and destroy a household appliance, when I was really in the dumps I would listen to a lot of Billie Holiday or Edith Piaf, when I was happy I could blast anything from Mozart to The Beach Boys."

"Do you play any instruments?"

"A foster dad taught me a little guitar once when I was twelve, but I wasn't there long enough to really practice."

"Do you miss it?" the brunette rests her chin on her wife's tight stomach.

"Yeah. You know, I haven't thought about it in a long time, but I remember I really liked it. When I played, it was like the world around me dissolved and I could just be wrapped up in something ethereal."

"That sounds peaceful."

"Yeah it was. Did you ever play an instrument?"

"No. I wanted to learn the harpsichord once, but mother told me it wasn't proper."

"Would you still want to learn?"

"I suppose." Two hands come together and lock fingers.

"We could make one hell of a band. Think of it, the Sheriff and the Mayor on tour. I wonder what our name would be."

"The Storybrooke Dunces."

"Ha, oh come on. It would be something awesome like, the Regal Swans."

"The Swan-Mills Experience."

"The R and E Project."

"The Swan and the Queen."

"The Charming Queens." Soft laughter ripples up the entwined bodies.

"We could have the dwarves be back up dancers in their leather bikinis." Smiled the brunette devilishly.

"Ooooh man don't remind me about that. There were far too many hairy asses in my face that night."

"I know, and I watched every single video on YouTube. Over a million hits, you know."

"Yeah and I bet half of them are you and Ruby, damn her."

"Hey, Miss Lucas saved tips for a whole two months so she could pay them for that hour of absolute magic and wonder."

"Ha, yeah. It was pretty hilarious, I guess. I only want them as backup dancers if they switch to fauxfur though." The two women chuckled at the thought before a comfortable silence surrounded them. Thoughts drifted to home.

"I wonder what Henry's doing." Whispers the brunette.

"Probably throwing some kind of wild teenage party, wrecking our spotless Mills manor."

"Swan-Mills manor." A smile spreads across the faces of the two women.

"Swan-Mills." Sighs the brunette. "How did you get your last name?"

"Swan? Well, I was originally given the name Emma Booth, since I came with August- but I didn't know that at the time. When I was eight, I was in a particularly shitty foster home so I'd run away a lot. I kept finding my way to a park that had a large lake with geese and swans. I would sit and watch the swans for hours. I liked how large, powerful, and graceful they were. I'd watch them chase and snap at all the geese- wishing I could be one. This one afternoon as I sat watching them, this old lady that smelled like peppermint and pipe tobacco hobbled over to me and sat next to me on the bench. We ended up talking about birds, I guess she was homeless and lived at the park and had them all named. She told me all their different stories and I loved each and every one. I eventually told her about my situation, and she seemed to relate. She pulled into one of her grocery bags and lifted out this old tattered book. Looked like it had been put through the ringer. It was called, 'The Swan Princess.' She gave it to me and I would read it over and over again whenever I had to go back to the foster home. I liked how she could transform into a swan and back into a human. I used to pretend to do that. So, I guess between that book and the swans at the park- it was something that really just stuck with me. When I turned eighteen I legally changed my name to 'Swan' as a constant reminder that I can always transform into something bigger and better." The brunette's lips found the blonde's and kissed them softly.

"That's beautiful." The blonde blushed.

"Yeah, well… you know. Where did Mills come from?"

"A less romantic story is behind that name, I'm afraid."

"Tell me."

"In the Enchanted Forest, your deeds or in most cases, your profession dictates your last name. My mother's father was a miller, and so his name was followed with 'the miller.' Although my father's profession was more of a gentleman of leisure, my mother kept her title as miller. I truly have no idea why, she always wanted to seem so far removed from her past, but for some reason she clung to it fiercely. So, when I was creating the curse, Mills just came from that."

"That's weird. So, how did my mother get stuck with 'White?'" The blonde felt her wife tense up in arms.

"Her father earned that name for being so… _pure_ of heart." At these words, the blonde felt her wife grow distant, she pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring him up."

"It's fine, dear. The past no longer concerns me, it is the future I concentrate on now." She relaxes and molds back into her wife's muscular physique. Her hand runs over the blonde's stomach until she circles around a small scar cutting horizontally on the waist. "Where did this come from?"

"Oh the scar? That was from when I was fourteen and broke into a store for the first time. I was with this other kid from the foster home, Derek Flatterly. We snuck in and were stealing some stupid stuff like chips or something, and I tripped an alarm. I spazzed and started running for the door and knocked into the corner of the counter and the edge cut me." The brunette hummed and ran her fingers up the ribcage and circled around a small circular scar.

"And this one?"

"Oh man that was from this obnoxious kid named Zane Crawford. I had to share a room with him once when I was about ten and he was twelve. He had some serious anger issues, we got in a fight and he stabbed me with a pencil."

"He _what?_" said the brunette horrified.

"Yeah, like I said, had issues. I actually saw him again when I was waiting to go to court for before Phoenix. He looked like he had been in and out of prison for a long time." The blonde felt a quiver and noticed her wife was slightly shaking. "Hey, what's wrong?" she placed her fingers under her wife's chin and lifted her head to see tears forming in large, brown eyes.

"I'm… _so_ sorry." The brunette whispered as she clenched onto her wife's sides.

"For what? It wasn't your fault." The brunette merely shook her head and sat up.

"It _is_ my fault. It's because of me that you had to go through all those awful homes. It's because of me that you never learned to play the guitar, that you ran away to parks, that you broke into stores at fourteen, that you were stabbed by some psychotic prepubescent male." Tears fell from the large dark eyes, the owner holding her hands to her face trying to hide them. The blonde sat up and grabbed her wife's hands- kissing the knuckles softly.

"It's also your fault that Henry found me, that I found my parents, that I found a place to call home, that I met and fell in love with you. It's your fault that we have this absolutely amazing and wonderful life. So what you want, but I am so happy about the way everything turned out." The blonde reached over to her wife, softly wiping tears from her cheeks with her thumb. "Don't feel sorry for your actions. We're supposed to be focused on the future anyway, right?" The brunette nodded slowly. "Hey, look at me." She lifted the brunette's eyes to meet her own. "I love you." And with that, the blonde leaned back on the bed pulling her wife with her.

The brunette wrapped her arms around the muscular body holding her, placing soft kisses on her collarbone. "I love you." A peaceful silence fell upon the two women as they lay entangled in each other's arms, distributing delicate kisses on cozy skin.

The blonde broke the silence with a loud snort.

"What?" said the brunette raising her head.

"Just wondering if Henry's really throwing some kind of teenage rager at the house."

"He better not be."

"Better count the cider bottles when he get home." Said the blonde with a little smirk. "He's a good kid, though."

"Yes he is. He was always very well-behaved."

"Yeah? Tell me about it."

"About what?"

"Henry, as a kid. What was he like?"

"We had a little bit of a rough start. I couldn't figure out how to get him to stop crying when I first brought him home, but it turns stories soothed him. His face would always get very serious when he'd listen, like he was concentrating on every word. Then he'd erupt in a fit of giggles and would wiggle around until I bounced him on my lap." The blonde mother stroked her wife's hair and closed her eyes, trying to imagine a pudgy baby Henry.

"Sounds heavenly."

"It was, until he was about two. Then he wouldn't stop running around knocking things over."

"Ooooh, I bet that didn't go over well with Mama Mills." Regina gave a soft chuckle.

"It most certainly did _not_. I would send him to his room for time out, but quickly learned that wasn't the best method of punishment because he would just play around in his room like he hadn't done anything wrong. He also threw the _worst_ tantrums. When he didn't want something he would fall into a tight ball on the floor and scream until his face turned red and his body shook. That whole phase only lasted a year or so. He was an absolute angel as a three and four year old. I would take him to work with me and he would draw little comics about superheroes made out of fruit."

"Fruit?" the blonde raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"Yes, let's see… there was Applecore Man who would hide his identity with a thin black mask, he had a sidekick named, Stinky Cheese Man. Together they would thwart the evil Dr. Broccoli and his Lima bean henchmen." The two women erupted into melodious laughter.

"Oh I wish I could see those."

"You can, dear. I still have most of them filed in my study at home." The blonde beamed and wiggled her toes with excitement. "When he'd finish one, he would climb into my lap and read through the whole thing with me, he wouldn't turn a single page until I made some kind of 'oooh' or 'aaah' noise."

"That's freakin' adorable."

"Yeah." Hummed the brunette, her lips curving, her eyes growing hazy with nostalgia.

"I wish I could have known him as a tike." Sighed the blonde.

"You've seen all the home movies."

"Yeah, and those are freakin' cute as hell, but…" her voice faltered and her fingers suddenly lay still as if she were deep in thought. The brunette leaned up, kissing her wife tenderly on the cheek, knowing her thoughts. "Have you ever thought of…"

"What, dear?" The blonde cleared her throat nervously.

"About, um, doing it again?"

"Doing what again?" the brunette looked her wife square in the eyes. Green eyes darted between the bed and her wife.

"Um. The kid thing." The brunette cocked an eyebrow and then rested her head under the blonde's chin.

"I don't know." She whispered. "I suppose it hasn't exactly crossed my mind, until now."

"Well, what about…" the blonde hesitated, "you remember that dream we both had? The first one? With the baby?" the brunette's body stiffened.

"Yes."

"Well, our dreams have been coming true- turns out. The 'I love you,' the wedding one, and now that's the last one."

"Well, dear… though that may be true, who's to say that the child in our dream was our own?"

"I don't know. I mean, it _felt_ like it was. How we were holding it, looking at it." The brunette drew circular patterns around the blonde's belly button and remained silence. "I'm sorry, am I freaking you out?"

"No, dear. Not at all. Just thinking about this. Aside from the fact that our dreams have been coming true, do you not find it bizarre that we are sharing dreams at all?"

"Kind of. But we talked to Archie and he said it was a subconscious something-something, and the Blue Fairy _did_ say that the participants in true love tend to share dreams about each other."

"But to the extent of being clairvoyant?"

"Yeah, why not. I mean, you have magic. I'm the product of True Love and the Savior with some magical inclinations myself, so there's gotta be something to that." Silence permeated the room as the two women contemplated the strange circumstances surrounding their partnership.

"How would we do it?" murmured the brunette, breaking the thick silence.

"Do what?"

"The baby. Hypothetically, if we chose to have another child- how would we do it?"

"Well, there's adoption. We could also find some handsome stud with impeccable credentials and do the whole in vitro thing. I like that second idea, you'd look awesome pregnant."

"_Me?_"

"Yeah, of course you. I had Henry, so it's only fitting that it's you do this one."

"No, dear. I am much too old for something like that."

"Your body begs to differ. You, my friend, have the frame and constitution of a spritely twenty-somethin' year old. My extremely sore muscles will be evidence of your… bodily stamina." The blonde smirked and chuckled, but the brunette was lost in thought.

"I can't deny it's something I've always wanted, but statistics would prove a higher risk of complications given my body's age, flexibility and stamina aside." She shot a quick fiery glance up at her wife who wiggled her eyebrows.

"But I want to see you pump out a little uber-Regina." Said the blonde with a pout. "Besides, do you really wanna kiss these puppies goodbye for nine months?" quipped the blonde as she pointed at her abs.

"Well we haven't decided anything yet. We don't have to do something simply because we dreamed it happened." The brunette buried her head deeper in her wife's neck. The blonde looked down and knew her wife wanted a child more than she was letting on.

"On that note. How about we get started?" the brunette looked up at her wife who gazed down at her with bright, lust-filled eyes.

"You sure your muscles aren't _too_ sore?" pouted the brunette playfully. The blonde smiled and flipped her wife onto her back.

"Oh heeeell no. I'm going to do so many scandalous things to you the Universe will have no choice but to impregnate you with a little wunderkind." She straddled her wife's legs with a devilish grin. Electricity filled the room as the couple slammed against each other, moaning and screaming in such ecstasy that neither of them noticed the purple and blue sparks that flew from their bodies, illuminating them.


	20. Chapter 20: Homecoming

A/N: Lucky you guys get two updates tonight. I was on a roll writing these last couple chapters. Enjoy, and please feel free to review!

-MLEther

Regina and Emma arrived in Storybrooke to find the town much unchanged in the two weeks they had been gone. Emma left Charming in charge of the police department while Regina appointed Archie to be temporary mayor. He lacked the boldness of a leader, but the mayor figured he would be a suitable substitute given that most of the work he would have to do in her absence was paperwork filing. Although it was a rational decision given his familiarity with monotonous waves of paperwork, it was also a harmless act of revenge for passing out in the middle of their wedding ceremony.

As they approached the newly-appointed Swan-Mills manor, the two women stopped and tried to pick each other up.

"Oh come on, Regina let me carry you over the threshold."

"Who decided it was going to be me? I'm going to carry _you_. It was my house first."

The two continued to playfully pinch at each other until a low voice interrupted them from behind.

"How about I do it?" said Henry beaming down at his mothers. He grabbed his two mothers in a large bear hug. Unlocking the door and swinging it open, he grabbed each mother by the waist and hoisted them into the air, stepping through the door. He placed them down once inside. "Wow, you both got fat with honeymoon food." His brunette mother scoffed, playfully slapping his shoulder while his blonde mother laughed, punching him in the other shoulder. "Welcome home, you guys."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Regina said grabbing his collar, bending his head down so she could place a kiss on his head and straighten his messy hair out.

"Yeah thanks, kid. So, not too much trouble while we were gone?"

"No, just your typical Storybrooke. Dwarf brawls, Chimera attack, Cyclops plague, dragons… you know, the usual tom foolery." The group shared a laugh.

"Wait really?" asked Emma.

"Gods, Ma… no." he laughed.

"Just makin' sure, I mean, you _really_ never know." Said the Sheriff with a shrug. "I'mma go grab our bags out of the car."

"Cool, I'll come help." Regina leaned against the doorframe with a wide smile as she watched Henry and Emma saunter down the path together; both with the same goofy, cocky swagger. She shook her head and smiled to herself before turning back into the house. She began combing every inch of the house, looking for some sort of left over party-material or some other kind of potent teenage residue. Walking into her study she observed that her cider case remained locked and untouched. "Good boy." She sighed to herself, mind finally at ease.

"So, kid. What have you been up to while we've been gone? Thrown any crazy raves in the house?"

"Actually, no. Though the thought did cross my mind- I got a little paranoid about mom's particular attention to detail. We left our partying to the woods." He smirked at his blonde mother who smiled and shook her head.

"You better watch out, kid. One of these days your mom is going to catch on and you'll have to face the wrath of Regina Mills."

"_Swan-Mills_." Her son corrected her, making the blonde blush.

"Guess I better change my name plate at work, eh?"

"Grandpa already did, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he and grandma have been on such a high since the wedding that they've been running around changing everything with the name 'Mills' and 'Swan' to Swan-Mills. Adorable, yet nauseating." He smirked. "Now let's get inside, I have a surprise for you guys."

The two shuffled into the house with Emma's one bag and Regina's five. After setting them down in the bedroom, they walked down to the living room calling for Regina. She emerged from her study and quickly walked over to her family.

"Henry has a surprise for us, Regina." The brunette mother cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh _really_?"

"Yeah, go ahead and take a seat." Said Henry as he fumbled through his coat pockets. The two mothers sat down on the couch, shooting each other worried looks.

"Look what I got in the mail." He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to his mothers. Opening the paper and looking at it, the two shared confused looks and then turned to their son.

"I don't get it, kid."

"A college rejection letter?" said the brunette mother half confused and half irritated that any college would be foolish enough to reject _her_ son.

"It's not the letter itself, look at who it is addressed to."

"Henry Swan-Mills." Said both women together reading from the paper. They sat in silence as Henry stood holding his fists to his hips and a large smile on his face.

"Uh kid… I still don't get it." The boy's smile vanished and his arms dropped.

"Henry _Swan-Mills_!" his mother's stared at him blankly. "SWAN-MILLS." He enunciated. Then he watched it click. His blonde mother's eyes went wide and a huge, radiant smile spread across her face. His brunette mother gasped and held her hand to her chest.

"Swan-Mills! You officially changed your name!" screamed the blonde as she hopped off the couch, running to her son. Regina stood up shakily with a warm smile and embraced her son. The three stood there holding each other. "Officially a family." Mumbled the blonde into Henry's chest. Muffled little sobs could be heard from Regina's side of Henry's chest and they hugged tighter.

"It's a cause for celebration!" announced Regina as she stood back wiping joyous tears and scurried away to her study. The two left in the living room shared a look and giggled at the sound of her bustling heels clack across the floor. She returned with a bottle of cider and ushered them into the kitchen where she grabbed three glasses and poured a hefty amount of cider in each. Pushing a glass in each hand, she lifted her own saying, "To the Swan-Mills."

"May our days be full of ultimate badass-ery." Toasted the blonde.

"And may we never have to fill out a family tree questionnaire." Added Henry.

They all laughed and downed their glass before proceeding to the back porch and continuing. They sat outside talking for hours about anything and everything. Regina left momentarily only to return with a huge folder of Henry's old comic books of the Adventures of Applecore Man and Stinky Cheese Man. They poured over them laughing and hugging, the cider making everything more hilarious by the minute. They watched the sun slowly set in soft fluxes of orange and yellow before yawning and shuffling to bed. Henry face planted onto his bed, his mind fuzzy and his heart warm. He reached for his headphones and placed them over his ears just in case his mothers brought the honeymoon home with them. Regina and Emma sat silently unpacking their bags, glancing at each other with little smiles. Both excited to get back to work in the morning and begin the rest of their lives as the Swan-Mills Family.

The next morning, Regina checked the refrigerator to find that, in their absence, Henry had licked everything remotely edible from the shelves. The brunette shoved the last bit of cereal from the cupboards into a bowl for Henry and began a rather extensive shopping list. Emma arrived quickly realizing all the food was gone, she opted to go to Granny's for breakfast before work. After seeing Henry off, the couple strolled into Granny's to find the usual crowd eating the usual things. As they entered, the occupants of the diner gave small cheers and welcomed them back.

Archie folded his paper and stood up from his booth approaching the mayor. "Well, everything's in tip top shape, Madame Mayor." He said with a smile only described as enormous relief having finally been relieved of his monotonous workload.

"Well, Dr. Hopper- I suppose we can call it even." she responded with a small curve to her lips.

"Indeed." he replied with a small flush to his cheeks. He smiled gratefully and returned to his booth as a whirl of pastels and brown hair rushed by him practically tackling Emma.

"Whoa, Snow. Hey." The blonde laughed as she patted her mother who vibrated with excitement.

"How was everything?!" she said finally peeling herself from her daughter and shaking Regina's hand.

"Fantastic." Emma replied not wanting to expand more on the subject of her honeymoon to her mother. Charming waltzed over taking his daughter in his arms.

"It's good to see you, Em." He said with a brilliant smile. "The station's been pretty quite while you've been gone. Ruby came in a couple times for the night shift, and August helped out a bit."

"Wow, our wooden friend left his solitary forest life?"

"Only for a little bit. I think he was getting a little stir-crazy. He offered to pick up a few nightshifts every now and then, and I think the budget will allow it."

"Sounds good to me, but enough business I'm starving." The group of four shuffled to their seats as Granny walked over with a couple mugs and a pot of coffee.

"Welcome back." She said as she poured coffee for Regina and Emma who nodded graciously. "I expect you two love birds got all your yaya's out on the honeymoon and can stop making a spectacle of yourselves in my diner?"

"I wouldn't count on it." Replied Emma with a fiendish smile as she playfully nipped at one of Regina's earlobes. The brunette blushed batting her wife away from her ear.

"I'll keep her in check, Granny." Said the brunette with a wink. Granny rolled her eyes with a sly smile and turned to leave. A few steps away she turned back and looked closely at Regina. There was something different about her, but she couldn't quite place it.

"So," Snow exclaimed, "what now?" She looked excitedly between the two women across from her who merely cocked their eyebrows back.

"What do you mean?" said Emma.

"Well, I mean what's next?"

"Oh, uh…"

"Snow, they just got back from their honeymoon, give them a breather hmmm?" said Charming rubbing his wife's back.

"Right. Of course. Tell me all about it."

"About the honeymoon?" said the blonde.

"Yes!" said Snow rubbing her hands together.

"_All_ about it?" said Emma squeezing Regina's thigh under the table.

"Don't be crass, dear." Regina said playfully to her wife. Emma snickered.

"Oh, you know. It was your usual honeymoon. Doin' things that one does on a honeymoon and the like. But tell us what's been going on here in Storybrooke."

"Nothing much, actually." Said David casually. "Well, actually, Jefferson's been so bored since you two left that he's kind of become our number one cat-in-a-tree alert system." They all laugh at the absurdity, but each laugh contains an element of the jitters with the thought of Jefferson, Grace and their hobby. "Grumpy's gone back to work at the hospital as a janitor, Doc started an internship at the hospital… he figured he should live up to his name."

"Happy, tell them about Happy." Snow interjected poking her husband in the ribs.

"Happy decided he liked the bachelorette party so much that he's become a one-man show at The Rabbit Hole." Emma's jaw drops to the table. "Dopey joined up with him too and they have a rather hilarious two-man act that you have to see."

"Wow, I did _not_ see that coming. He can't be serious."

"Oh he is. And he's actually quite talented." Says Snow. She and David get caught up in a brief conversation over Happy's dance moves, and Emma turns to Regina.

"You okay?" she whispers. The brunette nods.

"Just really hungry is all." She smiles. And as if she can reads minds, Granny is out the next second with everyone's food. After eating, the group walked out of the diner to say their farewells. Snow gave Charming a peck on the cheek before prancing off to the school, as Emma whispered things in Regina's ear that made the mayor giggle and turn bright red. She joined David and the two headed off for the station as Regina watched them go. She felt a slight twinge in her stomach and chose to ignore it thinking it must have been something she ate. Before she could control what happened, she was keeling over a bush vomiting on the ground. Granny watched her through the window of the diner with a keen eye. "Something is definitely up with that woman." She said to herself.


	21. Chapter 21: Wunderkind

A/N: Time for some serious plot boosters. Enjoy the ride and feel free to review!

-MLEther

Rhythm, structure, and schedule. Three things Emma Swan never thought she'd embrace, let alone enjoy. Emma Swan-Mills, however, found that they gave her a sense of stability, purpose, and comfort. At exactly 7 a.m. she would wake up and climb into the shower. By the time she was dressed and downstairs, coffee and breakfast were prepared and waiting. She would eat, kiss her family goodbye, and leave for work by 9 a.m.

First order of business is to review the events-or lack thereof- from the night shift with August, then she'd move on to traffic citations, on Mondays she'd work on inventory until 11.51 a.m. when she'd meet Regina at Granny's for lunch and the occasional "quickie" in the bathroom. At 1 p.m. she'd return to the station a much happier Sheriff and bulldoze through citizen complains, making phone calls when they were due. At 3 p.m. Charming would take over the office while Emma would go out on patrol until 5.30 p.m. Then she'd scurry home to watch Regina prepare dinner, hoping she'd learn through osmosis. At 6 p.m. Henry would arrive home from the library and the small family would eat dinner together. Regina would finish up some extra work in her study while Emma and Henry cleaned up the kitchen. Around 8 p.m. the family would either watch a movie or simply enjoy each other's company on the back porch before shuffling up to bed where Emma and Regina would pounce each other like minxes until sleep overtook them. Solid, steady, and secure.

Rhythm, structure, and schedule. Three things Regina Mills always sought refuge in, but for the last month Regina Swan-Mills found no comfort in them. At 6.01 a.m. she would peel herself from her slumbering Sheriff and prepare for the day. At 7 a.m. she would prepare breakfast and by 8 a.m. she would be brushing Henry's head off the counter and serving breakfast to her family. By 9 a.m. she would leave for the office. First order of business would be to look over newly proposed laws and amendments from the Enchanted Forest council. On Mondays she would look over inventories from the Sheriff's office- some illustrated with stick figures in vulgar positions outlined with detailed arguments about why taxpayer dollars should be invested in various sex toys. She would snort and burn them immediately, though she did keep some.

At 11.51 a.m. she would make her way to Granny's to have lunch with her wife plus commit the occasional lewd activity in the restroom. By 1 p.m. she would be back in the office with an extra clack in her heels to face the mountain of budgeting until 3 p.m. Then came the dreaded Enchanted Forest council meetings that would endlessly drawl on until 5 p.m. She would head home, prepare and eat dinner with her family, and simply enjoy the evening with her two favorite people until "bed" time.

As the days and weeks rolled by repeating the same actions over and over, Regina found herself feeling less solid, less steady, and less secure. She couldn't figure out the source for this sudden shift in mentality, for it was everything she had ever dreamed about- except…

At 7 a.m. Emma stretches out across the bed cracking every bone, kneading every muscle. Another beautiful day in her beautiful world. After getting ready she skips (and trips) down the stairs. Upon entering the kitchen, she sees her son with his head on the counter, and no Regina. "Hey, kid." Henry jumps awake and suddenly notices that his mom hadn't brushed his head off the counter like she's done every morning for years. No Regina. Emma pours cereal for her son and puts the coffee on. While waiting, she searches around the house looking for her wife, but there's no Regina. Not even a note. She whips out her phone and sends her wife a message, but she immediately hears a buzz from the table by the door and sees that Regina had left her phone at home.

Hoping her wife simply had to go into work early, Emma sees Henry off and shoves off to her job. She arrives at Granny's at noon, but Regina never shows up. After not being able to concentrate on work, she decides to take the patrol car out early to search for Regina. After swinging by the mayor's empty office and stopping by their empty house a couple more times, Emma drives around the town. At 6.30 p.m. she gets a text from Henry telling her that Regina still hasn't come home. Now she gets nervous. The Sheriff speeds over to Granny's hoping to find Regina or at least someone who has seen Regina. She sits at a booth with her mother and Ruby as Leeroy bursts through the door of the diner.

"BIG NEWS, EVERYONE!" he shouts at the top of his lungs, the dozens of diner occupants stare at him. Leeroy continued, not noticing Emma was also seated at the diner. "I was at the convent just now and I overheard the mayor and Blue talking. REGINA'S PREGNANT!" Heads turn sharply to the colorless Sheriff in the back of the room. She drops her mug of coffee and bolts out the door. After the bell chimes there's a loud _SMACK _as Granny hits Leeroy over the head and hisses, "Moron!"

Regina snaps awake at 6.01 a.m. and prepares for the day. As she enters the kitchen to begin breakfast, she finds herself immobile. She sits at the counter staring off into a daze before shaking it off and deciding to go to Granny's. When she arrives, Granny raises an eyebrow at the surprising addition to the morning crowd.

"May I help you with something, Regina?"

"Um, yes. Coffee please." She sits gingerly at the counter, Granny takes note of the brunette's strange behavior.

"Is everything okay, Regina?" she asks piercing the mayor with her eyes, studying her. Regina is unresponsive and simply stares off into nowhere. Granny picks up a peculiar scent from the former queen and knows exactly what to do. "Regina? _Regina._" The brunette snaps to attention. "I think you should go see the Blue Fairy." She says as she pours an extra thick cup of decaf coffee in a to-go cup and puts it in the mayor's hand. Regina simply nods and walks out the door like a zombie. Granny watches her walk down the street towards the park with a fraction of concern, but also a faint knowing smile. She picks up the diner phone and calls Blue.

Instead of heading towards the convent, Regina strolls into the park trying to focus on the scenery. She has so many strange thoughts flashing through her mind, but she can't manage to grasp onto any particular one long enough to digest the words. She sits on a bench overlooking a pond for what seems like hours when she feels a presence sit beside her. She turns her head to see Blue sitting next to her, eyes fixed on the mayor.

"May I help you, Mother Superior?" Says Regina in a formal tone.

"It's good to see you too, Madame Mayor." Says Blue with a coy smile. Regina rolls her eyes. She was never one to consult fairies about anything, neither in the old world nor in Storybrooke. "How is everything?"

"Fine, thank you for asking. But I must tell you that I am not particular fond of talking to your kind." Blue gives a small, unoffended smile. "What I mean to say is that you are practically the patron saint of the Charmings, thus I cannot necessarily say that I find your council very comforting."

"I understand your hesitation, but perhaps instead of seeking my council- you may simply benefit from my knowledge." Regina cocks an eyebrow.

"And what would you possibly know that could benefit me?"

"There is a strong impulse of a particular brand of magic about you, Regina. I can feel it, and I know you feel it as well." The brunette eyes the fairy warily. "Perhaps we should discuss this in private?" suggests Blue as a horde of little league soccer players rush onto the grass in front of them. Blue stands and begins walking towards the convent, Regina follows after a brief pause- debating if what Blue has to say is really something she wants to hear. When they reach the convent, Blue leads them into the chapel and sits at a pew, Regina sits next to her, though at a respectful distance.

"You mentioned a particular brand of magic?" said Regina clearing her throat and cutting to the chase. The Blue Fairy smiles at the mayor's bluntness, finding it rather refreshing.

"I assume you are familiar with the power of True Love?"

"Yes. I _might_ be familiar with the concept." Regina offers a joking smirk.

"Do you recall when I counseled you and your wife about your dreams?"

"Yes."

"And you later expressed your concerns about your dreams having an element of clairvoyance? "

"Yes." Said the mayor increasingly more wary as to where this conversation is leading.

"At the time, I did not wish to reveal the whole truth to you, fearing that it would impede the natural course of True Love."

"Oh?" Regina impatiently sucked her teeth as the Blue Fairy internally prepared herself.

"Regina, may I ask if you and Emma have discussed the possibility of having children?" The mayor's face completely drained, a pit grew in her stomach. "I will take that as a yes. And may I also be so bold as to inquire whether or not you and your wife made love after discussing the possibility of children?" The mayor's eyes widened, her lips quivered as she moved them slowly up and down trying to procure an answer for the fairy. Sensing Regina's complete shock, Blue decided to lay everything on the table, "As you well know, magic is created through the cultivation and experience of strong emotions. If you and the Sheriff were to, say, express an intense connection of True Love while simultaneously feeling the desire to have a child- the magic that you both possess will provide." Regina held a shaky hand up to her mouth, pondering the Blue Fairy's words.

At that moment, Leeroy strolled down the hallway of the convent searching for Nova. He heard a voice in the chapel and poked his head in just as Regina found her words. "I'm pregnant." She said flatly. Leeroy flew around the corner and held his mouth. This is some juicy stuff. Without a second thought, he sprinted out of the convent towards the diner.

"That is something I cannot determine for certain." Answered Blue. "My power allows me to recognize specific concentrations of magic."

"So, I may not be pregnant?"

"Perhaps not, but you _do_ have an abnormal concentration of True Love centered towards your stomach. And that is commonly an indication of pregnancy." Regina clamped two shaky hands together and closed her eyes trying to steady herself.

"Why… why me?" she whispered. "Why did it choose me and not Emma?" Blue smiled softly at the former queen's question.

"True Love does not make the decision. The gift is bestowed upon the person who wishes it the most." A silence permeated the air as the mayor clutched to the pew in front of her and began breathing slowly, attempting to calm herself- but just as her heart beat began to slow its frantic pace, the convent doors violently burst open. The two women jumped and turned around to see a battered, scraped, and muddy Sheriff.

"Emma." Regina whispered hoarsely as she rose to her feet surveying her wife who appeared as though she had been dragged through Hell and back. "What… what happened to you?"

"I was attacked by a dog, fell in the mud, and was hit by two cars- but that's irrelevant. " panted Emma, her chest heaving while her eyes searched her wife wildly. "Do you have something to tell me, Regina?" The brunette remained mute, completely startled by her wife's appearance and entrance, but she didn't notice her subconscious gesture as she pressed her hand across her lower stomach. Emma saw this, her eyes widened further and shot back to lock with swirling dark eyes. "So it's true. How's it possible?" she panted, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "_How's it possible?_" It was at this moment, the Blue Fairy decided to step in. Cautiously rising from the pew, she faced Emma and related all the information she had just told Regina. When she finished, she saw Emma's jaw lock open, her bloodied knuckles cracking, her eyes flicking between her wife and Blue.

"A magical baby? A _MAGICAL…. BABY?!" _she hollered causing the fairy and the former queen to jump. "THAT WAS _ONE_ TIME. I WAS JOKING WITH THE FREAKY-TALK ABOUT THE WUNDERKIND THING, I DIDN'T ACTUALLY _MEAN_ TO…. TO….. A _MAGICAL FUCKING BABY?! _ARE YOU SERIOUSLY SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW?!" The blonde paced back and forth in the chapel clutching her hands to her head, not even noticing that Regina stormed out of the convent during her rant.

"Emma." Came the calm, collected, soft voice of the Blue Fairy. It immediately soothed the shocked Sheriff who blinked a couple times and looked around her.

"Regina. Where'd she go?" the blonde turned around and saw the opened convent door. "Shit." After a few calming words from Blue, Emma shot off towards the Swan-Mills mansion. When she arrived, Henry lept to her side asking if everything was okay. She shooed him off to his grandparents, knowing that when Regina got home- they would need complete privacy. Henry wasn't quick to argue, he had never seen his blonde mother looking so frantic, and after being assured that his brunette mother was okay- he quickly packed his backpack and headed for the loft.

Emma sat in the living room rubbing her hands together for an hour until she finally heard the front door open. She ran to the foyer and saw the tear-stained face of her wife, looking up at her- a bag of pregnancy tests in her hand.

"Regina." The blonde whispered, remorse pumping through her veins as she saw the damage she had done to her wife. The brunette sniffed and pushed by her without so much as a word. "Regina, wait. Please." She reached out and grabbed the brunette's wrist gently. "I am so, so, so sorry. I didn't mean to react that way, but it was a lot to take in, and you know how my mouth just runs. I want you to know, that I really _am_ excited about this. This whole magic thing is still really hard for me to wrap my head around, even after all these years. Regina?" she tenderly tugged at her wife's wrist turning her around. Cupping her wife's face in her hands she whispered, "I love you. I love you so, so much. And I want you to know that regardless of the outcome of this test, I will still love you. I just had a moment of panic. Just know that I love you and I really _am_ excited about this." She gave a small, genuine grin placing a kiss on her wife's forehead. "How else could we have possibly created some awesome little wunderkind had I not wanted this, hmmm?" Regina nodded slowly and fell into her wife's embrace shivering.

"Y-y-you're right." She mumbled into the blonde's chest. "I'm sorry."

"No, Regina, don't apologize. I was just so panicked that I didn't even stop to think how you might be feeling."

"I love you." Tiny hands gripped fiercely at the Sheriff's red pleather jacket.

"I love you." Replied the blonde squeezing her wife tightly to her. Regina took a large inhale and stepped back holding onto the blonde's shoulders.

"Now, let's go find out if we're having a magic baby." Said the brunette with a short laugh as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

"Hell, yeah wunderkind. Let's do this." Emma said excitedly as she laughed along with her wife, both their voices were shaky with anticipation. They ran up the staircase hand in hand, whirling into the master bathroom. Regina started unboxing the tests. "Oh, Regina… hold on just one second." The blonde disappeared around the corner, and reemerged with a huge grin on her face.

"Are you wearing…?"

"Old Faithful? Definitely. Hasn't let us down before, hmmm?" smiled the blonde pinching her old, ratty hospital gown. Both women read the directions on each box carefully as Regina took each test. They sat knee-to-knee with the pregnancy tests between them, staring down awaiting their future. Emma closed her eyes with nerves and she heard a small intake of breath from her wife. Without opening her eyes she whispered, "So, do we get a little uber-Regina or not?" A soft, warm hand cupped the Sheriff's cheek. She opened her eyes to see her wife smiling brilliantly, four positive pregnancy tests in her hand. The blonde shot into the air screaming excitedly, kissing and praising her hospital gown before falling back to her knees and sweeping her wife into her arms.

"Three cheers for the wunderkind!" she shouted as the couple clutched to each other with pure euphoria.


	22. Chapter 22: The Young and the Sexless

_Sunday Sexy Times_, thinks the blonde as she wakes up with a large smile. She tightens her arms to engulf her sleeping wife, but quickly notices there is a certain former queen missing from her embrace. Her eyes shoot open to see Regina snuggled under the blankets on the far edge of the bed, her back facing her. Regina's been more inclined to sleep away from her, not out of malice, but simply because she's been getting hot flashes. _Magical baby hot flashes_, thinks the blonde as she smiles over at her sleeping wife. She rests her gaze with content upon the soft folds of her wife's body, she quietly nudges over to place soft kisses upon those extremely alluring shoulder blades. As soon as lips touch skin, the brunette stirs and twitches her back. Emma moves forward, sliding an arm around her wife's waist, resting a hand on her stomach- she gently wipes dark hair and kisses the brunette's neck. A hand flies up from her wife and waves her away. She persists, the hand returns- smacking at Emma's lingering fingers. As she tries once more, the hand returns smacking Emma's hand leaving a slight sting. The brunette turns around glaring at the blonde.

"Look, I have awful heartburn, my body aches, and I've been constipated for the last two weeks- I'm not feeling particularly sexy right now, so you keep your paws to yourself." She flips over on her pillow leaving the blonde frozen with her mouth open. She could always rely on Sunday Sexy Times… _always_. She places her hand on the brunette's shoulder, but as soon as her fingers hit the soft skin, the brunette flinches and stands straight out of bed heading towards the bathroom. "What did I _just_ say?!" she hisses as she slams the door. Emma scooted to the far corner of the bed and curled into a ball.

For the last few weeks, Regina had uncharacteristically been sleeping for more hours a day than she spent awake. And when she was awake, she insisted on staying at the office-even during lunch breaks- to prepare for her maternity leave, though it was still months and months away. Emma hears the bathroom door open, she hears closet doors open and clothes, the sound of fabric being pulled onto a body, heels being slipped onto feet, the bedroom door swung open, heels storming slowly and firmly across the door, and finally- the front door opening and shutting. Not even a goodbye kiss. An hour later, Emma is still curled up in the bed when her phone vibrates.

_Em, no lunch today- catching up at office. See you for dinner._ _Love you._

"Love you." Repeats Emma reading the text aloud. She falls on her back, twiddling her thumbs. Sundays were usually always dedicated to spending the whole day in bed together, but the last two weeks it's just been her alone. It's summer vacation and Henry's been gone camping with friends and wont return for another couple days. She can't just stay inside all day… not again. She gets out of bed and dresses for a walk. She'll distract herself by going for a long, long walk. That will get her mind off se- _things_.

She finds herself immersed in the tall, dark trees of Storybrooke's forest. It's pleasant, calming, and… She stops dead. Looking at a small glen. _Regina and I played kinky hide-and-seek here._ She pouts and keeps walking, as she moves among the trees she cringes at every other bush and dell as she recognizes different spots that she and her wife had desecrated during their own "walks" through the forest. She hears a slight wrestling in the trees to her right, she squats to find a couple of half naked, lust-sick teenagers rolling around in the dirt. She rolls her eyes and changes direction. _August_, she thinks. They could hang out for a bit, she'll let him talk her head off about environmental rights and the sacredness of trees as long as it keeps her mind off….. she stops dead in front of August's trailer. It's slightly rocking back and forth, her ears prick up as she hears moaning and grunting. _Seriously? August?_ Today of _all_ days. She turns around and walks in another direction, quickly hiding behind a large tree as she sees her _parents _of all people skipping through the trees, Charming chasing after Snow whose hair is all tussled, a nauseating giggle issuing from her lips. Emma rolls her eyes and lets out a large sight. _Is EVERYBODY having sex except for her?!_ Just as if she needed confirmation, behind her she sees Dr. Whale groping Sally Web (Little Miss Muffet). _I gotta get out of here_. She launches from the behind her hiding tree and runs as fast as she can to the beach.

Later that night, she and Regina ate dinner in silence with the occasional quip of casual conversation such as inquiries to one's day, the weather, a few other trivial remarks. After dinner, Regina yawns and climbs straight into bed leaving a much flustered Emma to her own thoughts. Emma wakes up the next morning to Regina already absent from their bed. Groaning and growling, the Sheriff steps out of bed into a cold, sobering shower.

She walks into the station with a thick cup of coffee in one hand and a giant doughnut in the other. August looks up from his notebook and greets the Sheriff good morning.

"There's nothing _good_ about anything." Is her reply. August raises his eyebrows. He knows his boss isn't a morning person, but this kind of response is new to her usual sleep grunts.

"You okay, Sheriff?"

"_None of your damn business, treehugger._" Emma seethes between clenched teeth as she walks into her office and slams the door. Instead of pursuing the obviously frazzled Sheriff even further, August slips the nightshift report under her office door and walks cautiously out of the building. Emma sits in her office flicking around the pages of the night shift report, wiping her greasy doughnut fingers on the corners. Her phone buzzes.

_Em, lunch at Granny's?_ Emma perks up as she reads Regina's text over and over again. YES. Maybe this time, maybe it's… it's finally time. Excitement grows inside the Sheriff as she taps her pen on her desk, checking the clock every couple minutes. Right at 11.50 sharp, she runs out of the office and straight to Granny's, anticipation building in her eyes, as well as between her legs. She arrives at Granny's to find Regina already sitting at their usual booth, food just arriving. The two women sit, eat, and talk about their day. Regina is so caught up in her meal that she barely looks at Emma, but when she raises her eyes for a moment- she sees her wife wiggling her eyebrows and eyeing the bathroom. The mayor rolls her eyes and shoots her a, "definitely-not-happening" look. Emma sits back in the booth with a pout. They continue in silence, until Emma just can't take it anymore. Without a word she stands up, grabs her jacket and leaves the diner. Regina looks after her, a confused expression crossing her face. Granny looks at the door and back at Regina before walking over to the baffled Mayor.

"You have to do something about that poor woman." Regina looks up at the old woman curiously, "Normally I'd say your personal affairs are your own business, but you're acting a damn fool and that's something I can't abide."

"What do you mean?" Granny shoots her a look, eyebrow cocked.

"Really, Madame Mayor? I haven't sensed this much sexual frustration since prom night a couple months ago." And with that, Granny slips the check on the table and walks behind the counter. _Oh_. It finally clicks. All this time she had been so wrapped up in work and trying to figure all of Henry's college affairs out, that sex hasn't even crossed her mind. Now that she thinks about it, her sex drive has been at an all-time low. Not even a twinge of excitement flutters in her stomach and makes her go weak at the knees when her wife gives her that goofy lop-sided smirk, she doesn't even grow faint at the blonde's touch… for some reason she's repulsed by _any_ human contact. At this moment she's so deep in her thoughts that she doesn't even notice someone had sat in the booth across from her.

"Regina? Hey, Regina… you okay?"

The brunette raises her eyes, and internally sighs with annoyance as she sees the mother of her wife sitting across from her looking concerned.

"Fine." She curtly answers.

"I know you probably don't think it's any of my business, but I've noticed you and Emma are kind of, well, _off_ lately."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Snow raises her hands in surrender.

"Nothing, nothing. I just want to know if you're okay."

"I'm fine."

"And the, uh, baby… is it okay too?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well, if you have any questions you know you can come to me, right?" _Hmph, like the last thing she'd do is go to Snow White with her problems._ But then Regina's lip curves a bit… this could actually be a little fun.

"Emma is sexually frustrated." She blurts out. She immediately doesn't regret her decision in saying it, Snow's face is exactly what she'd hoped- and better. Snow's body grew rigid, her face pale, her eyebrow twitched.

"Oh." She whispers. Regina lets a sleek smirk move across her face as she watches the small woman opposite her writhe. But to her dismay, Snow breathes deeply and straightens up, taking a serious tone. "During pregnancy one can expect either an increased sex-drive or a decreased sex-drive. Your situation is completely natural and very similar to my own when I was pregnant with Emma." Regina's elation deflates to a miniscule level. "Charming went absolutely insane and when I finally realized what was happening, I found ways to distract his attention." Regina sat back, trying to look disinterested like they had nothing in common, but Snow could see the former queen's slight curiosity in the tiny glances shot her way. "I explained everything to him and got him new weaponry. After that, he could put all of his pent up angst into practicing with those weapons."

"Typical Charming." Sneers the brunette as she stands to leave. "Lucky for me, Emma's different." _She's not_. _But I wont give that satisfaction to… Snow._ Holding her chin up high, she waltzes out of Granny's unaware of the half smile formed on the face of the young soon-to-be new grandmother. As the mayor walks down the street, she glances across the street at Marco's shop and suddenly remembers something the blonde had told her once about her childhood. She quickly walks over to the shop and places a very special order. The next couple days continue as they had been, sexless, but Regina made sure to be more attentive and doting. Though her hormones weren't necessarily sex-ready, she still had no problem showing affection towards her wife in other ways that would hopefully buy her time until her present is ready.

A very grumpy and disheveled Emma arrives home from work one night to a dining room illuminated with candles, and a brilliant feast of her favorite foods displayed meticulously on the dining room table. She stops to take in the scene as a couple slender arms snake around her waist and a soft kiss falls on her cheek. "Welcome home, Sheriff." Comes a deep, sultry voice. The blonde melts like butter as she turns around to see her wife's beautiful dark eyes staring into hers. With a gently hug and a couple pecks on the lips, Regina leads her wife over to the table and they sit down to eat. After Emma was full to bursting, she leaned back in her chair and looked over at her wife, "So, what's all this for?"

"Just to say, I love you. And… that I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Our lack of… intimacy lately."

"Ah… yes…. _That_."

"I wanted to apologize and try to explain to you that it's not that I _don't_ want to be with you, it's just that I can't seem to handle any kind of physical contact right now."

"Magical baby stuff."

"Indeed." Emma slowly nods her head and looks down at her empty plate. "So, as a part of my apology, I decided to get you a little something." The brunette stands up and walks to a closet and pulls out something large and wrapped. Emma moves to her feet, taking the strange _something_ from her wife's hands. Ripping the wrapping paper off, she gasps as her present is unveiled.

In her hands she holds a beautifully crafted acoustic guitar. She runs her fingers over the soft wood, and smiles as she sees the delicate carved figures of swans imbedded in the body. Tears flow to her eyes as she glances over her gift, and up to her wife's equally glistening eyes.

"Regina I… I don't know what to say." The brunette leans over the guitar to her wife and kisses her on the lips with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you."

The next couple weeks flow by with hardly a hint of frustration. Henry's returned from his trip to offer much needed distraction while Emma spends every night wrapped around her guitar, rediscovering the solace it had once provided to her as a child. One morning she sits happily in the bathroom at work, humming a tune she had been working on the night before when her phone buzzes.

_My office. Now._

"Oh my gods, something's wrong with Regina." She jumps off the toilet and runs out of the station holding her pants up. She was in such a rush she didn't bother zipping, buttoning, or strapping her pants back in order… she simply runs. Thinking of all the awful things that could possibly be wrong with Regina, she forgoes privacy and bursts through her wife's office doors. Her pants drop to the ground. Regina sits propped on her desk, legs wide open, lacey black lingerie barely clinging to her body.

"Oh good, you're ready." Regina says with a smirk, eyeing the now pantsless Sheriff. She crooks her finger, summoning her wife to her. Emma jumps in response, tripping over her pants and falling to the floor, she doesn't even care. Quickly kicking them from her feet she slams the door and runs to her dream woman. Skies split, planets collide, and now that the sex-drive is back on, there's no turning it off.

After a few months of Regina's now insatiable sexual appetite, Emma is completely beaten. Although both mothers were completely raw with nerves now that Henry had left for college and Regina's stomach and swelled significantly, all of these emotional events seemed to trigger two bacchanal cravings: food and sex. Regina became the contemporary visualization of a maenad. She would eat the most bizarre assortments of food and then ravage her unsuspecting wife on nearly every surface manageable. Between the cravings and the random assaults on her libido, the Sheriff became too exhausted to even function. Even in all her exhaustion, Emma wakes up one night- her skin cold from an absence in the bed. She looked in the bathroom, but couldn't find her wife. She heard a faint noise downstairs and followed it, turning a corner she found her wife on the couch stuffing peanut brittle in her mouth and sobbing while watching a rerun of Xena: Warrior Princess.

"Well this has got to be the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen." Smirks the Sheriff. A piece of peanut brittle hits her forehead. She smiles and snuggles up next her wife, placing a hand over Regina's stomach, softly stroking it. During a fight scene, both woman jump in alarm. The baby had kicked.

"Aaaw, little Wunderkind likes kicking ass just like her mommies!" another piece of peanut brittle hits her forehead and the two snuggle even closer, all hands wrapped tightly together, resting on the mayor's stomach.


	23. Chapter 23: Gowns Again

A/N: Greetings friends,

Quick note about the previous chapter: I received a few questions as to what a "maenad" is. A Maenad is a disciple of the Greek god Bacchus (Dionysus). Maenads typically spend their days drinking, dancing, and having sex.

Also, we're nearing the end of this little romantic comedy, so if you have any input or suggestions, please do let me know! I'm very grateful for the reviews I've been getting, they are encouraging and helpful (special thanks to Darkhannock, Jquackers, and Andrea316). Hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review!

Rubbing her hands together, she cracks her knuckles and rubs warmth back into every digit. _Not a very regal habit_ she thinks to herself as she stuffs her hands back into her coat pockets. The summer had been mercifully warm, but now the soft summer winds had turned to cool breezes, steadily morphing into sharp icy chills as winter nips on her ears and fingertips as she sits on a frosty bench in the park.

It's been months since she's heard the news and she's tried to embrace it the best she could, but there was something that was pulling Snow White back. She remembered sitting at Granny's with her daughter and her husband when Leeroy burst through the doors dropping the P-bomb on the diner. _Regina's pregnant_. She remembers freezing up, Charming going catatonic, and Emma bolting out of the room. The entire diner had fallen to a deathly silence before Charming jumped in the air clicking his heels and started to buy drinks for everyone in the room.

After they left the diner to find Henry waiting outside the loft, Snow realized that it was actually happening. Her daughter and her archenemy were going to have a baby. She would have to face the truth eventually, but _which_ truth? That her daughter had married her archenemy? That they're having a child? That they have True Love? That it's real? A sharp breeze picked up causing Snow to drift from thoughts and re-warm her hands. Readjusting on the bench, she realized that ever since the curse broke, she'd been so quick to accept everything as it came. She was so relieved to simply be reunited with her family and her past that she casually picked up the pieces to rebuild her life into… whatever _this_ is.

Rebuilding a new life in which she and her daughter are the same age, and the woman who is her stepmother who also spent decades tormenting her has married her daughter. Nothing in this new life makes any rational sense- and she's tried to be optimistic, but now she finds her good feelings running short. She had been so wrapped up in her "perfect princess with a perfect family" façade that she hadn't allowed herself to truly confront reality.

It's true she had ruined Regina's life, but in return she had lost her father, her home, her life, and she was exiled. And later on she lost her daughter, her husband, her memories… Regina had taken _everything_ from her. And at this moment, what scares her the most is that when looks at Regina, she doesn't feel any malice. When she looks into her eyes she no longer sees her vicious stepmother, she no longer sees the blood thirsty Evil Queen, she doesn't even see the manipulative Mayor Mills. Why can't she be angry? Her thoughts drift to her daughter's wedding reception and the toast she gave to Regina. That moment when they held hands was not a moment of forgiveness, nor was it a formal gesture for tradition's sake. It was almost like a truce, an acceptance… a "we'll-talk-about-it-later" moment coated with peaceful understanding. It was an unspoken promise to stop festering in the past and work to improve and grow from an incredibly complicated history.

It's Saturday. She and Regina had continued meeting in the park every Saturday, for reasons both women weren't quite ready to accept. Their conversations remained casual- both women biding their time before the inevitable confrontation. Snow took her hands from her pockets to rub them together when a flash of fire passed in front of her, landing just next to her feet transforming into a small campfire. She jumped and looked to her right.

"Cold, dear?" said Regina looking smug with her stealth. Obviously pleased with the reaction. Snow took in the sight of a much larger version of Regina, but even so late into her pregnancy, this woman had somehow managed to maintain an air of poise and regality… in heels nonetheless.

"Hi, how are you feeling?"

"Fine." Sighed the brunette slowly lowering herself onto the bench in front of the fire. She flicked her wrist making the fire grow a tad more, warming their bones. They sat for a few moments in silence, staring at the fire and thawing chilled limbs. "You're awfully quiet today, dear. Shouldn't you be prattling and pestering about a baby shower?" Snow snorts.

"I kind of gave up on that idea after you temporarily turned my mouth into a closed zipper."

"Mmmm yes, I was rather proud of that one." The two women smiled and continued to stare at the fire.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking…" begins Snow.

"A dangerous past time." Snow tilts her head and cocks an eyebrow at Regina who gives a small smirk as she stares at the fire.

"Anyway, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Enchanted Forest." Regina stiffens up, _here it is… the inevitable._

"I suppose I should take comfort seeing that you are not accompanied by your bow and arrow?" quips Regina. Snow smiles a bit, but seizes the opportunity to ask a question she had been turning around and around in her head.

"Well, since you mention it. That day, on your porch, when I shot at you… why didn't you fight back?"

"I couldn't very well slaughter you in front of your daughter and my son now could I?" Snow frowns.

"No, that's not it. You put your arms around me, Regina." The former queen straightened her back and took a deep breath. _Here we go_.

"To be frank with you, dear, after the curse broke I was suddenly confronted with all the anger I had created. Every night I would sit in my house and listen to the endless crowds of people screaming for my blood. As much as I hate to admit, it was a very sobering time."

"I can't imagine what it must have been like."

"Suddenly approaching mortality tends to push ones thoughts to dwell on ones actions. After living in solitude, I realized I really could not function without any kind of human contact, as hard as it was to admit to myself. Then Emma and Henry started coming for dinner, and I grew to care for Emma. She was really the first to give me a second chance, and for that I am eternally grateful. I saw what Henry wanted me to be, and I worked very _very_ hard to become that person. At some point, that person became who _I_ wanted to be, and I suddenly found myself liking who I became. Emma helped me see who I truly am."

"So, you really do love Emma?" Regina looked at Snow, then down at her inflated stomach, and back up at Snow.

"Um… yeah." She said mockingly. She continued her story, "That day I saw you on the porch, I looked into your eyes and I saw something I had created. My own vengeance reflected in your eyes. I thought of our past, and decided that further violence would only fan the flames, which would not only affect me, but also Emma and Henry. So when I stopped the arrow and saw you crumple to the ground, I saw the little girl who I had saved from the horse all those years ago."

"You were making amends." Regina shifted in her seat.

"More like stopping an unpleasant situation from becoming even worse, I wouldn't necessarily say 'amends.'" Silence crept between the woman and the listened to the fire crackle.

"I hope you know how… how sorry I am for… for Daniel."

"That was a life time ago." Replied Regina staring into the fire, tears forming around her eyes. _Was that an I forgive you?_ Thought Snow. She looked intently at the former queen whose eyes remained fixed on the fire. "I want you to know that I am _not_ sorry for killing King Leopold." Her large brown eyes removed from the fire to look into Snow's glistening eyes. "I am, however, sorry that it was your father I killed." Snow took a shuttered inhale of breath and nodded.

"I never really knew what your relationship with him was like. I suppose I was naive."

"Oblivious, dear. Oblivious." Said Regina coolly as she refixed her eyes on the fire making them dance higher.

"Just before your wedding to Emma, I overheard a couple former palace nurses talking about… about some of the things that would happen." Regina shoots her a dangerous look, her eyes screaming don't-bring-that-up.

"I've come to terms with that part of my life, dear, and I would appreciate not dwelling on it anymore." Regina looks back to the fire. Snow reaches her hand over to the brunette and places it on the former queens fist. Slowly drawing the fingers out, she wraps their hands together and squeezes tightly. Surprising both herself and Regina, she moves closer to the former queen and rests her head on her shoulder. To the surprise of both women, Regina doesn't move- letting Snow White rest her head on her shoulder as they gaze into the fire. It starts to snow gently as they lean together on the bench, they both realize how much they've changed. Snow is no longer insufferably optimistic and nauseatingly oblivious, and Regina is no longer cold-hearted and vindictive. For a moment they sit together as stepmother and stepdaughter, letting the fire slowly melt the past away.

Suddenly the fire disappears and Regina sits upright moving both hands to her stomach. Her eyes still, full of concentration, fear, and then a wave of excitement.

"Regina, what is it?" She looks at the mayor who shifts her hands around her large stomach, eyes flicking here and there. "Oh my… oh my gods, is it?"

"Yes." Regina breathes. Snow jumps to her feet.

"I'll drive." She spits in a panic as she helps the brunette to her feet.

"No, _I'll_ drive. You come along and call Emma." The two women rush as quickly as possible to Regina's Mercedes.

Emma sits at the station with her feet up on her desk, watching the incoming blizzard out her window. Her phone rings. She sees it's Snow and presses, "ignore." The damn woman hasn't been leaving her alone for days now. She's been reading this book about motherhood and calls her daughter every other minute to read her some ridiculous passage and proceed to cry. Her phone continues to ring, and the annoyed Sheriff continues to press ignore until finally silencing her phone. Twenty minutes later, David bursts into the office- his face red, his eyes practically popping from his skull.

"EM! IT'S REGINA!"

"What?" David clutches his chest and heaves. "Jesus, did you just run a marathon in this blizzard?"

"REGINA! EMMA! REGINA!" David pants.

"Regina… _what?_"

"Your mother's been trying to reach you! It's _TIME_." He sputters.

"What are you talking about? It's time? Time for wha…..OOOOOHMYGODS! MAGIC BABY!" She grabs her keys and flies out of the chair, scrambling out of the office. David moves to follow her, but passes out cold on the floor.

Emma's knuckles are bright white as she presses into the wheel of her yellow bug, swerving and speeding through the snowcapped streets of Storybrooke. Her mind is feverish and her smile is blindingly large and white. Her whole body is practically on fire as she pushes harder on the gas pedal. Just as she rounds a corner, she hits a patch of black ice sending her car spinning into a snow bank.

Jefferson shakes his head and smiles as he squints through his telescope seeing a tiny yellow bug spin out of control and come to a sudden halt. He picks up his phone and dials the hospital. "Hello this is Jefferson. There's a certain unconscious Sheriff stuck in a snow bank on I-66. Better send an ambulance." He hangs up and moves his telescope elsewhere.

Emma wakes up, her head aching, she sits up holding her head and realizes she's in a hospital room. "Shit!" she frantically pulls off all the wires and jumps out of the bed. Darkness. Her eyes steadily wake up once more, she's being helped up by a nurse. "You have a concussion, sweetie, take it easy… you can't just go flyin' outta bed." Emma stands and steadies herself against the bed.

"My wife… where is she?" just as those words leave her lips, the hospital shakes like an earthquake and there's a loud explosion causing all the lights to flicker. The nurse winces and at once Emma understands. "Oh." She begins stumbling, her hands holding to the walls, towards the chaos. As she turns a corner, a couple nurses are on the floor rolling around trying to put out the flames that caught their outfits on fire. Another earthquake strikes and a dozen fireballs fly out of one of the rooms.

"YOU FIND HER AND KILL HER!" Screams Regina's voice from the room as another dozen fireballs shoot out the door. Snow comes flying out of the room, skidding. Her face charred, her hair singed.

"Oh Emma, are you alright?! Where have you_ been?!_" sobs Snow as she flings herself on her daughter.

"Mom, mom… I'm fine. How's Regina?" They look over at the room as another earthquake strikes and a terrified nurse flings herself out of the room dodging a fireball. Stumbling like Bambi over to the room, Emma peeks in the door and dodges a fireball. Then she pops her head in the door. Regina is sprawled on the bed, her eyes up in flames. "_You_." She breathes. Emma enters the room and grins.

"Sorry I'm late." She smirks as she sits next to her wife, stroking her sweat-drenched brown hair. Regina rolls her eyes and then notices Emma's hospital gown. Her eyes flick back to her wife's eyes, full of concern.

"What happened to you?"

"Crashed my car, you know. The usual." She smirks, but Regina frowns.

"You almost died." She whispers, moving her hand to the blonde's cheek.

"No way. Too stubborn to let something like that lick me."

"Let's not make a habit of collecting hospital gowns, okay love?" the brunette states through choked tears.

"Promise. Now, I'm going to get some of those nurses and Dr. Whale, and we're going to play nice, okay?" Regina nods.

It was all over before a Emma could even blink her eye. The chaos turned to white noise, all she could see was her wife's face, all she could feel was the desperate hand clenching into her arm, nails digging into her skin. Until, silence. And a faint cry echoed above the chaos and there it is. There _she_ is.

Huddled together on the hospital bed, two mothers smile serenely down at the little sleeping bundle wrapped in the truest form of love imaginable.


	24. Chapter 24: Together At Last

Charlotte Swan-Mills

A single voice cries out in the middle of a sleepy Storybrooke night.

"We almost made it two hours." Groans Emma as she lifts her sleepy head to look at the clock. Regina stirs, but her wife places her hand on the brunette's shoulder, planting a kiss on her cheek she whispers, "My turn. Sleep." Regina hums in reply and her breathing instantly reverts back to a gentle rhythm. Emma opens the door to the nursery and walks quietly to the crib. Softly taking her daughter in her arms she places Charlotte's tiny little head under her chin and pats it softly. "Hey now, lil Charlie. It's all good. Ma's here." The baby's cries slowly recede to a tiny whimper as Emma takes a seat on the rocking chair and slowly pushes back and forth. "Now I know you're just eager to hear the rest of the story from earlier tonight, eh?" Charlotte squirms a little, placing a tiny hand on her mother's stomach. "Mmm yes, that's what I thought. So, where did I leave off? Ah yes… so the beautiful blonde warrior had lost all her fighters as she faces hundreds of thousands of crazy mutant robot guys, and she's just run out of ammo…" As the blonde mother spins her tale, Charlotte softly squeezes and releases her grip on her mother's pinky until she slips into, hopefully, a deep sleep. Emma places her back in the crib with a swift kiss, and sneaks back to bed.

A couple hours pass and the faint cry from their daughter calls Regina and Emma out of their dreams. The brunette slips out of bed quickly whispering, "Don't get up, you have to wake up for work soon." The blonde doesn't even reply she's already letting out soft little snores as she hugs Regina's pillow. The brunette mother slips into the nursery and tickles her fingers up her daughter's stomach before lifting her out of the crib to hold her tight. "Oh I know what this is about. You just want to know who that scary crying lady from earlier today was. That was your grandmother, Snow White." Charlotte lets out a little chirp, her mother smiles. "Oh I know what you're thinking… she doesn't have the most attractive cry-face. And don't worry, she wasn't crying because she was sad, she was just happy to see you." She softly pokes her daughter's nose with her index finger. "She's going to spoil you _rotten_." She sat quietly rocking back and forth. Looking down she saw her daughter's bright green eyes looking up at her. "You know who was really excited to meet you today? Granny." Charlotte lets out a little chirp and smiles as she grabs at her mother's pinky. "That's right. I've never seen her smile and laugh so much. I can tell you liked her too. Pretty soon you'll steal the heart of everyone in Storybrooke because you're so wonderful." She rubs her nose gently against her daughter's nose, making the baby coo and smile. "Guess who you're going to meet in a couple days… that's right, your big brother Henry. You'll be so proud of him, he's off at college and is so excited to see you." Charlotte drifts off to sleep once again.

Later that morning- a tall, bearded man walks into the Sheriff's station to find the Sheriff passed out with her feet up on the desk, her coffee slowly dripping onto the desk as it tilts slightly in the Sheriff's hand. The man smiles to himself and moves closer to the slumbering blonde. "Ma." He says gently. "Ma!" the Sheriff remains fast asleep. "EMMA!" he shouts. The Sheriff jolts awake, spilling the coffee she puts paperwork over the puddle on her desk and looks up hazily.

"Kid!" she exclaims as she jumps from her seat and saunters to her son. "I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow." She holds out her fist.

"Class canceled. Decided to drive down early and surprise you." The two bump fists.

"Your mom's going to flip her shit." The two laugh and head out the door.

When they arrive at the Swan-Mills house, they find Regina passed out on the couch, a sleeping Charlotte tucked in her arms, they both have a little drool falling from their mouth. Emma and Henry quickly take out their phones and take a picture, quietly snickering. Henry walks over to his slumbering brunette mother and places a soft kiss on her forehead, but she doesn't even stir. Charlotte, however, notices the new person and begins to wiggle and smile, her bright green eyes fixed on the tall, bearded man towering over her. Henry takes one of her small hands in his and shakes it up and down saying, "You must be Charlotte. I'm your older brother, Henry." Regina's eyes pop open.

"Henry!" the brunette mother holds out her available arm and her son settles in giving both her and Charlotte a large bear hug. Regina kisses his head and straightens his hair. "You're early!"

"Class was cancelled, so I decided to come early… I hope it isn't a problem."

"Not at all, sweetie." Breathes the brunette mother placing another kiss on her son's head. "You've met Charlotte?" She smiles at the squirming baby in her arm.

"We're already best friends." Says Henry standing up and swinging his little sister into his arms. He holds her above her face and lets her dig her little fists into his beard. She lets out a small giggle.

"She laughed!" says Regina lifting herself from the couch.

"Way to go, kid- that was her first laugh." Says Emma walking over to stand by her wife.

"Am I that goofy looking?" Henry says laughing at his little sister who's moved to patting his cheeks.

"Do you really want me to answer that question, dear?" says Regina eyeing his beard. Henry tucks his sister into his arms and starts walking for the backyard.

"Come on, Chuck, let's go gossip about our mothers. You gotta fill me in on everything I've missed." He says to the smiling baby as he walks out to the back porch leaving the two mothers holding hands, hearts completely melted.

A while later, Henry strides back into the house with a now uncomfortable looking Charlotte. "I think she needs her diaper changed." He stops mid-stride and sees his mothers collapsed on the couch, limbs entangled, dead asleep. "I'll figure it out." He whispers to himself as he walks out of the room and up the stairs to the nursery. He lays Charlotte out on the changing table, looks up a diaper changing tutorial on his phone, and sets to work.

"Once upon a time, there was a powerful Queen and a courageous Savior. When they first encountered each other, they thought they really hated each other. They fought over a strong, handsome young prince named Henry. But then they started spending time together and grew to really like each other. And you know what? They were _terrible_ at flirting. And you know what else? Neither of them can drive a car. But luckily everything worked out, and they fell in love and had a beautiful little baby girl named, Charlotte." The little girl giggled. "That's right, that's you." Henry said poking the tiny belly. He picked her up and sat in the rocking chair, holding her to his chest. "They love each other now, and although it can get pretty gross sometimes, just hang in there… because even though it's gross- they do what they do because they love each other. And you know what, kid? You and I are the luckiest people in all the realms."

A couple hours later, Emma and Regina wake up in a haze. They call out for Henry, but when they get no reply they start frantically searching the house. Just as Regina was about to tear up every floorboard, Emma comes scurrying into the room.

"Regina, you _have_ to come see this." The two mothers tip toe upstairs and peek in the nursery door. Henry is passed out on the rocking chair with a sleeping Charlotte draped over his chest, both sleeping with the same goofy grin.


	25. Chapter 25: Smile (Epilogue)

A/N: Greetings Friends! We have finally reached the end of our little fluff-story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I would like to thank everyone for their reviews, they were very encouraging- and I can't wait to hear what you all thought of the ending. I just sat down a few hours ago and plugged this out, so it's without editing- do forgive the errors.

Writing this story has been a wonderful escape for me. I'm currently going through a lot like losing my job and now my house- writing this story and interacting with all of you have really helped me and I would like to thank you for your support. Special shout out to Anika who gave me a lot of great feedback that encouraged me to continue this story. Though this story is done, I just started an AU SQ/Star Wars crossover fic if you're interested in diving into that.

Again, another heart felt thank you to all of you for reading this story and also for reviewing. I wrote this whole chapter while listening to "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin (I put the lyrics in at the very end of the chapter). I highly recommend everyone listen to it while reading, and/or just in general. It's a wonderful song that has really influenced this story as well as my life. I hope I was able to make you laugh and feel all the fluffy warm-fuzzies. If I did any of that, then I accomplished what I set out to do. Anyway, I'll stop babbling and let you read. Thank you, Gracias, and Danke!

-MLEther

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The citizens of Storybrooke all had a dark smudge deeply embedded in their pasts. Living in a new realm with new lives that are not under brutal medieval principles had a lasting effect on each individual. Their contemporary lives became more of a fairy tale than their previous lives, and they were absolutely dedicated to maintaining their happy new existence through cultivating new relationships and loyally guarding and mending those of the past. They poured their heart and soul into providing better lives for children, not wishing them to be raised in the same rigid and savage land like the Enchanted Forest.

Concerning babysitters, Storybrooke never lacks an able body- especially when said child being babysat is the granddaughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, plus she is also the daughter of the former Queen and Savior. Everyone adored Charlotte Swan-Mills to the degree that Regina and Emma had to set up a babysitting schedule for each Friday when they went out for a night together. At the top of the list sat Snow White. She would snuggle on the couch with her granddaughter and read her fairytales, while constantly spoiling her in every way she could. Next would be Charming. Together they'd play dress up and run around the house with play swords before curling up together and watching Indiana Jones. Granny would show up with loads of food (hiding the sweets at the bottom of her basket away from Regina's disapproving eye). Together she and Charlotte would make a fort out of pillows and blankets. They'd sit inside with flashlights and eat her pastries while exchanging ghost stories. She and August would play in the backyard, working in the garden or doing anything as long as it was outside until August was satisfied that Charlotte had a connection with the earth. Ruby would make popcorn and put on Lady Gaga and Beyonce music videos reasoning that an education in contemporary pop culture would make Charlotte well rounded.

She was so incredibly grateful for the life she now possessed. For decades Emma had searched for a home. Little did she know all that it took was her to open her heart, and home would be where love is. _Technically it took a curse, fairy tale characters, and a whole lot of pitchforks, carcrashes, and mobs- but love's the point_. She smiled to herself as she drove home from her date with her wife. She got out of the car and could barely wait to get inside the house to see her daughter. It was her favorite part every Friday night. She rushed to the front door and burst through it. "Charlie! We're home!" she shouted into the echoey house. A loud thud and the sound of small, pattering feet came sounding from upstairs. A squiggly little flurry of brown hair and green eyes came bobbing down the stairs in her small, purple night gown. "MOMMMMY!" She squealed as she ran into Emma's arms. The blonde hoisted her up over her head and squeezed as tightly as she could- twirling her daughter around and around. The little girl giggled at her blonde mother and squirmed out of her arms so she could run to her brunette mother who was still walking up the path from the car. "MOM!" She cried out from the doorway. She ran down the path into her brunette mother's arms plating kisses all over her face. Regina held her daughter's head in her hands and rubbed their noses together, "Hello little bean." Emma walked out and hugged her wife and daughter together.

"So, kid, where's Nana Snow? Did you lock her in the bathroom again?" Charlotte giggled mischievously.

"Nooooo." She bit her lip.

"Charlotte, are you lying?" said Regina holding her daughter's chin so she looked into her eyes.

"Nooooo." She said with a giggle.

"Then what's so funny, huh?" said Emma poking her daughter gently on the belly button.

"Noooooothiiiing. It's a surprise." She said with a large grin.

"A surprise, eh?" Emma grinned at Regina.

"And what surprise would that be, little bean?" said Regina moving into position behind her daughter as Emma stepped in front of the little brunette. They had a practiced method of getting secrets from their little trouble-maker.

"Nuh uh, can't tell." Said the little girl pushing her chin up. Regina shot Emma a mischievous glance and they dove in; Emma tickling her daughter's belly feverishly while Regina tickled up and down her sides. The little girl shrieked and giggled trying to get away, but both mothers picked her up and squished her between them peppering her in kisses.

"You better tell us." Said Regina kissing all over her daughter's cheeks.

"N-n-noooo!" she giggled trying to get away.

"Come on, Charlie, you know you want to." Emma said as she kissed around her daughter's now exposed belly.

"Never surrender, Chuck! You can't let our moms win!" Came a loud, deep voice from the doorway. Emma and Regina snapped their heads to the door and nearly dropped Charlotte in surprise. She wiggled out of their arms and ran towards the door and clung to her older brother's leg.

"Henry!" the two mothers shouted at the same time.

"Suuuurprise!" squealed Charlotte flinging her arms into the air. The two mothers rushed to the door into their son's arms. He wrapped his arms around them kissing both on the tops of their head.

"How _dare_ you do this." Said Regina with a huge smile as she stepped away and slapped her son over the shoulder.

"You know I can't resist surprising you guys."

"That was mean." Said Emma wiping a joyous tear from her eye. They hadn't seen Henry in almost a year. He had gotten an internship as an assistant storyboard editor for a New York-based cartoon company. Having an unpaid internship and another fulltime job waiting tables didn't allow a lot of free time to travel to Maine with rent to pay and a large stomach to fill. The last time he was in town was the previous Christmas and it was now a couple days before Christmas Eve. To Regina's delight he had decided to shave his beard and adopt the air of a young professional. And to Emma's delight, she and Henry would meet up online and play World of Warcraft together every other weekend. They released from their hugs and stood holding hands while Charlotte tug at Henry's pants.

"Hennneeee! Pick me up! Pick me up!"

"Pick me up, _what_?" Said Regina raising an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Pick me up, _please_, Hennee?" Henry laughed and picked up his now four year old little sister placing her on top of his shoulders the family turned and entered the house. They entered the living room and Emma bolted to the kitchen announcing she'd make hot cocoa. Henry plopped Charlotte on the couch and she quickly scrambled up and ran to her little bucket of toys in the corner of the room.

"Come play with me, Hennee!" she called to her brother as she flung toy trucks, Star Wars figurines, and balls out of the bucket.

"Just a second, Chuck!" he called to her, smiling. Regina sat next to her son and took her face in his hands, rubbing her thumb over his smooth cheek.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie." He blushed and put his hand over his mom's.

"You raised me well, mom. Both you and Ma."

"We did our best." The brunette sighed. Henry noted a twinge of uncomfortable memories flashing across his mother's eyes.

"You really did, mom. Remember when I was little and would sit on your lap while you worked?"

"Yes. You were so well-behaved." She smiled and glanced down.

"I wanted to be like you." His eyes looked deeply into his mother's dark eyes. He tried to convey all of the love and compassion he felt for his mother until through his eyes until he saw her troubled memories wash away from her eyes in a pool of tears. "You're my hero, mom." She playfully slapped her son on the chest before he pulled her into a huge embrace as she let out a few soft tears onto his shirt.

"Aaaw, you're having sappy moments without me?!" said Emma strolling into the room with four mugs of hot cocoa. She placed them on the coffee table and squished between her wife and her son. "Make way you two, it's not fair not to include me." She said playfully. They all snuggled up on the couch, Charlotte took note of this and barreled towards them leaping onto her blonde mother's lap, bouncing up and down. Henry giggled and tickled her stomach before looking at the hot cocoa on the table and then back at his moms.

"You should probably make one more cup."

"Why? There's only four of us." Said Emma.

"Five. Chuck and I may have locked Nana Snow in the upstairs bathroom." Charlotte giggled madly and lept off the couch and ran to the other side of the room hiding behind a bookshelf to hide from the trouble she was about to be in. After a beat of surprise, Regina and Emma erupted into enormous laughter. Charlotte giggled from behind the bookshelf, still worried to come out for fear of punishment. Regina and Emma fell off the couch deep in a fit of laughter.

"I-I-I suppose we should go let my mom out." Heaved Emma wiping tears from her eyes.

"Or not." Smirked Regina. They laughed harder.

"I'll go get her." Said Emma kissing her wife on the cheek and standing up trying to control her face. She hopped up the stairs and went over to the bathroom. She waved a hand over the handle of the door and heard a soft click. She opened the door to find her mother hunched over sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"Magical grandchildren can be a bitch, eh?" she smirked at her mother.

"But at least having a magical _child_ has its benefits." Said Snow smiling and brushing off her pants. "I missed the reunion didn't I?" she huffed.

"Yup."

"Damn. I always miss the sweet things." Said Snow shaking her head.

"Come on downstairs and have some cocoa." Said Emma patting her mother on the back.

They walked down the stairs and entered the living room to find that Regina had lined her children up at attention. She stood behind them with her arms folded.

"Now kids, what do you say?"

"Sorry, Grandma." Said Henry with a small smirk. Charlotte held her head down with a small pout on her face.

"I'm sorry, Nana." She mumbled.

"And what else, Charlotte?" said Regina curving her lips. Charlotte gave a big sigh.

"I promise not to lock you in the bathroom with magic." She turned around and looked at her brunette mother who nodded with pride.

"That's right, kid. No magic unless one of your moms is home and you have their permission." Emma said smirking at her ashamed daughter. Snow walked over to Charlotte and knelt in front of her so they stood at the same height. She took her chin in her hands and smiled into those watery green eyes that looked just like Emma's.

"Thank you for your apology, dearest." She kissed her granddaughter's little button nose, her eyes watered up as she felt tiny little hands curl around her neck. She picked her granddaughter up and whirled her around making her giggle. "Now. How about that cocoa?" Charlotte nodded with a large smiled and scrambled to the ground, running to the coffee table. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Regina said glancing at Emma who shook her head. They looked at Snow who had a wry little smile.

"It's my revenge for being locked in the bathroom." She said. The front door opened and Charming came waltzing in with a bottle of wine. Behind him came Granny, Ruby, August, Archie, Dr. Whale, the seven dwarves (fully clothed), the Blue Fairy, Belle, and even Jefferson and Grace (who looked particularly overwhelmed at being in such close proximity to the people they had watched daily from far away).

"We heard Henry's back in town and want to have a little welcome back slash pre-Christmas party." Said Charming with a large smile. "As punishment for locking his grandmother in the bathroom we have to drown this kid in a humiliating amount of attention." He said rumpling his grandson's hair. Charlotte ran to her grandpa hugging his legs.

"Graaaammmpaa!" she squealed. She turned and saw the crowd of people behind him and looked as though she was going to burst with excitement. "Gran Gran!" she ran to Granny's arms, "Princess Wolf!" she hugged Ruby's legs, "Jimnee!" she ran and hugged Archie's legs. She tried calling him by his Enchanted Forest name ever since she learned he had been one of her favorite Fairy Tale characters. "August!" she hugged his legs. "I made snow flowers in the backyard!" she whispered excitedly in his ears. His earth-loving heart melted as she pecked him on the cheek. Skipping Dr. Whale she ran straight to the Blue Fairy. "I've been _very_ good lately, Except for today. I helped Hennee lock Nana in the bathroom, but everything's okay now!" After hearing Blue's story, Charlotte was convinced she was Santa Clause and had to tell her everything good and bad she did. "Belle!" she squealed as she ran into the red head's arms. Belle pulled a small daisy out of her purse and put it in Charlotte's hair. "Thaaaaankyouuuuuu." She approached Jefferson and Grace and looked at them curiously. "I'm Charlotte. Mommy calls me Charlie, Hennee calls me Chuck, but you can call me Charlotte just like mom." She held her hand out. Jefferson held his hands together, rubbing them a little uncomfortably. Grace stepped forward and placed her hand into Charlotte's and shook her hand.

"I'm Grace. I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Charlotte. I've seen… I mean, I've _heard_ a lot about you." Charlotte smiled and hugged Grace tightly. "Charlotte, I've been meaning to ask you, how's your knee feeling?"

"How'd _you_ know about it?" said the little girl, her eyes wide with shock. "Mommy promised she wouldn't tell anyone." Embarrassment reddened the little girl's cheeks as she recalled a magic lesson gone wrong where she had accidently created a hole in her knee in which butterflies would fly out of every time she sneezed.

"Oh, she didn't tell me… I was just, um, walking by and saw what happened."

"Oh." Said the little girl looking a little confused. "Promise you wont tell anyone, okay?" she said poking her finger on Grace's collarbone. Grace caught her breath, this little girl looks exactly like her brunette mother when she's threatening someone.

"I promise." They smiled at each other and Charlotte turned towards the seven dwarves who surrounded her and gave her one big collective hug. Giggling and repositioning Belle's daisy in her hair, Charlotte bolted around everyone's legs and jumped into the living room shouting with excitement and disbelief that all her favorite people were in one room. The crowd watched the little girl bounce off the walls and laughed.

"Well, since it's now a party, everyone come in and make yourselves at home!" Emma announced motioning for everyone to enter. Regina took one of Granny's large baskets of food and helped her into the kitchen. After everything was placed on the counter, Regina turned to the old woman and gave her a big hug.

"It's good to see you, Granny."

"You as well, Regina. I've hardly seen you since you got that new fancy coffee maker." She said eyeing the shiny foreign-looking coffee machine with distrust. "How's everything going?"

"Fine. Fine. Everything's been pretty quiet so Emma can come home at a reasonable hour, Charlotte's started getting really involved with drawing so I am actually able to get some work done with her at the office, Henry's here now… I can't say I could ask for very much more." The old woman looked at the mayor and felt relief that the dark eyes opposite her that had once been filled with such unfathomable anguish and malice has been replaced with deep swirls of love and peace. She reached an old wrinkly hand up and patted Regina's shoulder tenderly.

"Good for you, kid. And remember what I always say…"

"Never act a damn fool." Granny let out a laugh.

"That's not what I was going to say, but let's go with that." The two women elbowed each other playfully and began unpacking the food from the baskets. Emma sat on the couch with her parents watching Charlotte assign toys to each of the dwarves. She snorted and almost choked on her wine when she saw Blue's face as Charlotte handed her a particularly gruesome looking figurine of a Hydra. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she watched Dr. Whale kneel down and ask if he could play. _Wow, he's actually being pleasant and not a total creep_, she thought, but then she saw him wiggle his eyebrows and give a look at Blue. _Nevermind_. Thought Emma. She was about to walk over when she saw Charlotte do her job for her- and better. The little girl reached into her bucket and thrust a giant stuffed figurine of Frankenstein's monster into Whale's hands.

"_You _be the monster and Blue is going to be the good monster that beats up the mean, ugly monster. That's _you_." She said jabbing Whale in the chest. Emma snorted once again and relaxed back into the couch.

"She has your intuition and Regina's sense of humor, _that's_ for sure." Whispered a smiling Charming into his daughter's ears.

"Bless that child." Said Snow laughing and shaking her head.

"Yeah, she's pretty cool." Said Emma smiling as she watched her daughter direct the monster fight scene between Blue and Whale. She turned to her father, "How in the hell did you get Jefferson and Grace here?"

"Well, apparently Henry and Grace have kept in touch when they left for college. They were both at the same school in Vermont and found it helpful to have another person from this wacky town to talk to. She just started working on her Masters and…"

"Masters in what?" inquired Snow.

"Psychology." Charming said with a smirk.

"Figures." Said Emma as she took a big gulp of wine.

"Anyway, she just started working on her Masters in Vermont and Henry picked her up on his way from New York. I guess they had a long time to talk over the years, and Grace said she wanted her father to have the occasional dose of humanity up close. Henry told me about it in his last email, so I called Grace and invited her and her father tonight." He finished his story and looked over at Grace who was deep in conversation with Henry. Jefferson stood awkwardly in the far corner of the room with his third hefty glass of wine, his eyes flicking from person to person. Emma noticed Henry and Grace and eyed them suspiciously.

"You don't think…" started Snow looking in the same direction.

"That would be weird." Said Emma taking another large gulp of wine. "I mean she's spent _years_ watching us, watching _him_ and gods knows what else."

"Can you imagine having Jefferson as a father-in-law?" David chimed in. Both women let out a slow breath of air and thought about it.

"They would have to live in a windowless house." Said Snow.

"Regina would have an aneurism." Said Emma glancing over at her wife who was clinking full glasses of scotch with Granny and laughing. Emma loved to watch her laugh and for a moment as she watched her wife, she completely forgot about her son hypothetically being in a relationship with the daughter of a psychotic voyeur whose nickname is "The Mad Hatter." The same man who had kidnapped and drugged she and her mother all those years ago. Regina gasped at some passing comment Granny made and laughed brightly exposing her beautiful teeth with a smile that reached clear to her eyes. _I love you_. Thought the blonde.

"I'm so happy for you, Emma." Came her mother's voice close to her ear. She shook her head and looked to the petite Snow White sitting next to her, stroking her hair behind her ears.

"Thanks, mom." Snow's eyes filled with tears and her lips curved upwards. Emma noticed a flick of remorse pass in her mother's eyes and she knew what thought had just crossed her mind. "You gave me my best chance, mom. And you know what? I am so very grateful that you did. It may have been rough at first, but now I have Regina, my son, and a crazy adorable daughter. Not to mention I have both my parents in my life. None of this would have been possible had you not sent me away, in my opinion- it's the best thing you and dad have ever done for me. Thank you, mom. I love you."

Snow trembled and her breath grew heavy, tears flooded from her eyes and she reached forward and clutched to her daughter. When the curse first broke, both she and Emma didn't know how to act around each other. She had immediately expected a close mother-daughter relationship, but twenty-eight years of separation prevented that… at least until now. Emma was very rarely open about her emotions towards her parents, so Snow knew that what had just happened was completely genuine and she hugged her daughter with as much gratitude as she could exert from her limbs. "Okay, Snow. Choking me now." Came Emma's voice a little raspy from the constricting embrace. Snow popped backwards.

"Sorry." She said with a large smiling and wiping tears from her cheeks. "I better go to the bathroom and clean up." She walked out of the room and turned around for a moment to make sure Charlotte wasn't watching her leave for the bathroom, then turned around and continued on her way with an extra skip in her step.

"That was really nice of you, Em." Said Charming wrapping his arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"I meant every word."

"I know. Sometimes your mother just needs a little reassurance." Emma turned her head to look at her father and saw he had small tears in the corners of his eyes.

"And apparently you do too." She said with a little smile. Charming laughed and tried to produce a manly grunt as he wiped his eyes with his shirt. "You know, a few years ago Regina told me about the night the curse came. She told me about how she strolled into the nursery and found you and mom on the ground. She said that you were dying in front of her, stab wounds all over your arms and chest." David winced at the memory, it was the one time he had nearly failed.

"That's some morbid pillow talk." He said with a small laugh trying to lighten the conversation, but Emma's eyes remained seriously fixed on her father's face.

"She wanted me to know exactly what you did for me. I made some passing comment about getting sloppily tossed in a wardrobe, and she figured you two had never told me every detail about that night." She turned her body towards her father so they sat face to face. "And since we're being all gushy right now, I suppose it's a good time to tell you thank you. You saved my life… and more than that, you almost _died_ trying to save me though you had only known me for a few minutes. You fought against the Evil Queen and her guards to save my life- and that's got to be the bravest most noble thing anyone has every done for me. Thank you." Charming bit his lip and squeezed Emma's shoulder trying to fight back the tears threatening to break free from his bright blue eyes.

"I never did get to dance with you at your first ball." He choked out, eyes pressed to the floor.

"You did, though." He turned his head and met his daughter's eyes completely confused. "At my wedding, which was _technically_ my first ball." Charming laughed a little and dabbed his eyes with his shirt.

"Yeah, I guess we did. You have two left feet." He laughed.

"Hey, I got better." She jokingly punched his chest. "You were a good teacher."

"Thanks." His cheeks flushed red.

"And if you think about it, you _do_ fatherly things for me all the time. You're always there for me if I need to talk, you freaked out and fainted with excitement when Charlotte was born, you babysit all the time, you're always willing to pick up shifts for me, and you save me on an almost daily basis from those crazy street cats that hang outside the station. I'd say you're a pretty good dad. Thanks." Charming was at a loss for words and pulled his daughter into a firm embrace. Both he and Emma aren't too frivolous with tossing their emotions around. They usually have a sort of unspoken understanding, but at this moment he's grateful to hear the words. He stealthily wipes his tears on Emma's shoulders before drawing back and giving her shoulder another tight squeeze. A loud bang cut through their peaceful silence and they snapped their heads in the direction of Charlotte, Blue, and Dr. Whale. A giant ball floated over Charlotte's head and it burst releasing streams of confetti onto Blue and Dr. Whale.

"Charlotte Swan-Mills!" snapped Regina.

"It was the grand fimalee!" squealed Charlotte jumping to her feet.

"That was quite the finale." Smirked Dr. Whale brushing confetti from his shoulders as he looked down at a now completely shredded Frankenstein doll. Emma laughed and walked over to her daughter.

"I got this one." She said looking at her livid wife. She peeled her daughter off the floor. "Come on, Chuck… we gotta have a talk about magic in the house."

"But mooooooooommmyyyy…" the child whined as they turned the corner out of the room. Blue seized the opportunity and rushed to the corner where Jefferson was standing now with his fifth hefty glass of wine nearly gone. She had been meaning to talk to him about peeking into the convent dormitories. The sight of her wife carrying her daughter around the corner softened Regina's temper and pushed her into a wave of nostalgia. Granny seized this opportunity and slipped into the kitchen to make sure the dwarves hadn't eaten every bit of food.

Regina stood looking at the corner her daughter and wife had just turned. She couldn't believe the surge of warm love passing through her body at that moment. She was so incredibly lucky. Although she had been deep in a hilarious conversation with Granny about Enchanted Forest plumbing (or lack thereof)- she had stolen a few glances over to the couch where her wife and her in-laws were sitting together. She had felt a surge of magic from Emma and watched intently until she realized what she felt was Emma's sincere love for her parents. She became incredibly elated for Emma as her relationship with her parents deepened to a more intimate, parental relationship instead of just close friends. Emma deserved to have parents; she deserved to have all the unconditional love that flows from being a child with parents.

Her mind drifted to her own parents… a few years ago at the thought of her parents her eyes would grow foggy and she'd try to push the memories away, but after a few years talking with Archie- she had come to terms with the relationship she had with her parents. In terms of her mother, she had grown to observe the woman's life from a different perspective that allowed her to witness and understand the torments and manipulations that created the Cora she knew. Although her mother's actions towards her could not be rationalized away, they could at least be understood.

It took a very long time for her to feel at peace with her father. After a few failed sessions with Archie, at Regina's request- Emma started coming for their sessions. She would hold her hand and stroke it softly, unconsciously transferring waves of confidence and comfort to her brunette wife. She started at the beginning and discussed how her father was always absent from their home. He would be away on business or leisure, she wasn't sure. When he would come home, he would see the fresh bruises and cuts on his daughter's small body, but would refuse to acknowledge them- trying to block out the horrors of his own life.

By the time she was a teenager, her father had gotten in a horse riding accident forcing her to nurse him back to health while her mother took on management of the estate. She was fourteen and her father was finally forced to _really_ look at her. They spent hours talking until her mother would whisk her away for etiquette lessons, and then she'd return and they'd dive back into conversation often carrying late into the night. When he was back in shape, he got her a horse and started teaching her to ride. She didn't know what happened, but not long after that- her father stopped giving her riding lessons and assigned the task to the stable boy Daniel. She figured her mother had intervened somehow, but as she rode around she could always see her father watching her closely either from a window or outside near the house. He grew more reserved and would flinch whenever Cora entered the room. She started resenting his passivity when it came to her mother's abuse. He wouldn't say or do anything, her father would simply stand back and avoid his gaze while her mother unleashed her wrath. Through her sessions, Regina came to understand that her mother had a powerful sway over her father that terrified him to the core. Though she had been angry with him, she started to understand his actions. Slowly, other long forgotten memories of him surfaced. She remembered subtly acts of kindness. He always sent a nurse to be with her after one of Cora's "lessons." Little things like her favorite foods and sweets would show up in her room, and she realized that he tried the best he could to offer what little fatherly comfort permitted him.

The most difficult task of all her therapy sessions was reconciling her father's death. Emma would sit on Archie's couch while Regina rested her head on her wife's lap. She would shiver and panic as memories of those dark days would surface, but her anxiety would slip away as she felt her wife's fingers slowly stroking her hair. She was able to rationally approach the situation and directly confront the Evil Queen who murdered her father. Slowly and steadily, with Emma's soothing presence and Archie's unrelenting patience- she was able to forgive her father for her childhood, and more importantly she was able to forgive herself for murdering him. She believed she would always have that dark void in her heart for what she had done, but she learned and understood that her father would want her to move on and fill that void with the love of her family that resulted from her dark actions. With that final recognition, Regina was finally able to detach the Evil Queen from Regina Mills, she was able to forgive herself, she began to _like_ herself, she was able to be happy with herself.

Although she would never have the ability to have her parents in her life, over the years she had found a kind of mother figure in Granny. It wasn't an established relationship, but Granny silently discovered Regina's thoughts towards her and even realized that she had already unconsciously taken on the mayor as a daughter of her own. Their mother-daughter relationship wasn't the sappy kind where they cry in each other's arms and weep while seeking comfort from miserable events, instead they had a talk-no-nonsense and take-no-shit relationship with subtle, silent affectionate gestures all coated with long evenings of tobacco and scotch. What both women liked the best about each other was how much they laughed. They both had a wry, snippy sense of humor that-among other company- would be received as sly, offensive comments. Both women realized they hadn't done nearly enough laughing in their lifetime, and found that they could remedy this by being friends. Regina moved from her thoughts and glanced towards the kitchen where she saw Granny slapping Leeroy's hand who was dangling half a blueberry pie up to his mouth. She snorted and scanned the room. She saw Henry and Grace deep in conversation. _I wonder if they're together_, she thought, _Emma would have an aneurism_. And speak of the devil, Emma came strolling back in the room holding a red-faced Charlotte in her arms. She plopped her daughter by her bucket of toys and motioned for her parents to play with their granddaughter. Snow and Charming sat on the floor with Charlotte and she immediately brightened up and started thrusting toy trucks into their hands.

"How is she?" asked the brunette as she smiled and wrapped her arms around her wife. Emma let out a long sigh.

"She said I was restricting her artistic expression."

"Really?"

"Well, not in so many words- but that's the jist of it." She pecked her wife on the lips. They put their foreheads together and just listened to each other's breathing.

"I love you." Whispered Regina.

"I love you." Whispered Emma.

They pulled apart and interlocked fingers, surveying the room together. A very flushed looking August and an equally flushed Archie sat on a couple chairs talking very passionately about their activism. August would sway and nod his head overenthusiastically as Archie hiccupped and preached about the town's lack of concern for nocturnal insects. When he'd finish, August would take the reins and barrel into a slurred rant about Storybrooke's lack of passion for trees and how the forest was perpetually being desecrated and used as, "A goddamn cesspool of teenage hormones…" and "a fuckin' brothel for all these other ignorant sex-crazed fairy tale dopes who think forests are just a giant fuckin' bed for them to fornicate on." Regina and Emma giggled and squeezed each other's hands after hearing that last comment, for they were definitely the forest brothel's number one clients when they first started dating.

Their eyes shifted back to Charlotte who had now roped in Ruby and Belle into a very intensely dramatic reenactment of Hans Christian Andersen's story, _The Wild Swans_. It was one of her favorites because it had a queen and swans in it. The two mothers laughed as they watched their daughter make Charming be the queen and he scrunched up his face and delivered all his lines with a goofy high-pitched voice very unbecoming for a noble King.

"He does a good impression of you." Emma whispered in her wife's ear. Regina scoffed, rolled her eyes, and gently elbowed her wife in the ribs. "Let's take a walk." The two women strolled out to the back porch and moved slowly across the yard until stopping under Regina's apple tree where they held each other in a tight embrace.

"Oh the things this tree has seen." Sighed Emma pulling back and looking up at its branches. She looked down at her wife whose eyes lit up and she raised an eyebrow.

"You mean that night all those years ago when Henry had a sleepover with his grandparents and…"

"And we got that _really_ nice champagne."

"And that… _other_ thing." Regina smiled devilishly.

"Couldn't walk straight for a week." Emma smiled back at her and they shared a laugh.

"You also cut a branch off when we first met."

"Ha, yes that I did. Had to get your attention somehow. You were a _bitch_."

"Says the woman who during her first week of knowing him, encouraged our son to distrust the mother who raised him."

"Ouch. Yeah, you got me there. But hey, the branch grew back." Emma walked closer to the tree, grazing her fingers over the bark. "I can't even see where I cut it." Regina stepped up and placed her wife's hand on the exact part. Emma leaned closer and saw a faint little scar running across the branch from where she hacked it off with a chainsaw. "Oh wow, you can still see it."

"Barely."

"Pity it's a bad memory."

"_Bad?_ Oh no, dear, I wouldn't say it was a _bad_ memory. I have that image of you all sweaty and angry holding a chainsaw etched into my brain." Her lips curved suggestively as her wife turned to her and pulled her close.

"Oh I'm sure we still have that chainsaw around here somewhere."

"Please no encores, dear, the tree has suffered enough."

"And now it's back bigger and more beautiful than ever." Said Emma as she tugged her wife's shirt, pulling her close.

"Yes it is." Regina placed her hand on the back of her wife's head, pulling her in for a deep kiss. Their lips connected and an electric wave they never tired of feeling surged through their bodies. Emma wrapped her hands around Regina's waist , sinking her fingers into the fabric as she slipped her tongue between her wife's teeth. Regina let out a little laugh and pushed back with her tongue, clinging to Emma's soft blonde curls. She felt Emma's hand squeeze her ass and she smiled pulling back and placing her index finger on her wife's hot lips.

"Now, now, Sheriff. We have guests." Emma pouted and Regina couldn't help but internally laugh at how their daughter had so perfectly acquired her blonde mother's infamous pout.

"Regiiiinnnaaaa…" she pouted, tightening her grip on the brunette's ass while snaking another hand under her wife's blouse. Regina nipped at Emma's lips and pulled away from her hands, coyly slapping them with her fingers.

"Later, dear. I promise." She smirked with a wink. She took her wife's hand and began walking back to the house. As they approached the glass doors, they took in the warm view of their living room. The seven dwarves were now assembled around the coffee table with Charming, Henry, Jefferson, and Granny playing an infamous Enchanted Forest drinking game that would ensure a very drunken and hasty departure of those involved. Grace sat on the floor with Belle and Ruby deep in conversation. Charlotte's sleeping body snuggled comfortably between the three women, one little hand embracing Ruby's, another holding onto Belle, while Grace softly stroked her dark hair. Dr. Whale and Blue stood in a corner and seemed to actually be having a civil conversation with the occasional dose of humor. A now wine-flushed Snow had joined August and Archie, she flailed her arms in the air giving a passionate speech about human rights while the two men seated opposite her nodded drunkenly periodically yelling, "_Hell_ yeah!" and "So, right. You're so right. Right on, Snow." All three of them swaying in their chairs, Regina twitched as drips of wine escaped their glasses and fell to the floor as the activists swayed and hiccupped.

"This is pretty incredible, Regina." The brunette turned to her wife whose eyes were illuminated by the lights from inside, causing her eyes to sparkle like emeralds basking in the sunrise.

"What is, dear?"

"This," Emma gestured at the room with her free hand, "it's the town. It's our whole family. Here."

"Family." Regina murmured as her gaze drifted back to the merry scene in their living room. She moved her arm around her wife's waist, Emma mirrored her gesture and the two women sat before the doors of their house watching all of these incredible people who had suffered so much, find solace and peace with each other. Both women couldn't tear their eyes away from all the genuinely content smiles that covered the room, smiles that collected all the beauty and wonder of all the realms, smiles that splashed across the happy faces of the Savior and the former Evil Queen.

The next morning, Henry was stirred from his sleep by the sound of a laughing little girl. He groaned as his mind erupted in twinges of pain. _I just had to play that damn drinking game again_, he internally moaned. Hazily he stood up and shuffled out of his room to tell Charlotte to keep it down, but as he reached the bottom of the stairs- his headache vanished and he was wide-awake and smiling. Inside the living room he saw his little sister on her back on the floor, Emma kneeling over her tickling her feverishly, while Regina shuffled around them taking photos and laughing.

"My dream." He whispered out loud to himself. His body filled with warmth that shot straight to his heart and swirled about his chest. He stood at the bottom of the stairs watching his family play together, reveling in the clairvoyance of his dream. It had been a wonderful one to live in his sleep, but witnessing it in reality was much sweeter and he basked in the endearing scene.

"H-he-heeeenneeeee!" squealed Charlotte holding a tiny shaking hand out to him. "S-s-s-aaave meeee!" she laughed as her blonde mother continued her tickle assault.

"Yeah, kid… join if you dare!" taunted Emma, throwing him a look over her shoulder.

"You asked for it." Said Henry as he bounced off the stairs and ran into the room. Wrapping his arms around his blonde mother's waist, he hoisted her into the air so quickly and so high up that it made even the fearless Sheriff gasp in surprise. Charlotte giggled at the sight and scrambled to her feet. Regina shot a couple more pictures, then snuck up behind Charlotte and swooped her into her arms, pecking her stomach with kisses.

"Heenneee! HEEEENNEEEE!" cried Charlotte. Henry was face down on the floor, his blonde mother sitting on top of him, she had pulled a couple bailbonds person maneuvers on her arrogant young adult son. Motivated by her calls, Henry managed to flip Emma off his back and he ran for his little sister. Gently pulling her from Regina's arms he placed her on the couch and lifted his brunette mother into the air. He twirled her around before putting her down on the ground where he started poking his fingers behind Regina's neck. She burst into a fit of laughter and Charlotte jumped up and down on the couch laughing at her mom's reaction.

"Come on, Chuck… lesson one for a tickle war: Mom's only ticklish spot is behind her neck. Use this knowledge well!"

"Traitor!" Regina playfully hissed up at her son who simply returned the comment with a goofy grin.

"Hey, Charlie," called Emma, "Now let's all get mom!" Charlotte clapped her hands and lept off the couch, pouncing on Regina who had tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks. Emma towered over her wife, smiling mischievously down at her. "Hey kids, there's one more spot you don't know about." Regina's eyes widened in horror.

"Ooooh no you don't…" Emma flipped Regina onto her stomach. "_Et tu Emma_?" breathed Regina as Henry held her hands to the ground.

"Love you, Regina. But this is something I have to do." And with that, Emma sat on Regina's legs and started running her fingers on a small portion of skin just above Regina's back causing the brunette to buck and laugh uncontrollably.

"Surrender, mom!" cried Charlotte.

"Never!" gasped Regina.

"You're gonna crack." Laughed Henry as he continued to tickle his brunette mother's neck.

"_Never_." Repeated Regina through fits of laughter and gasps for air.

"Pulling out my secret weapon now." Said Emma calmly. She pulled Charlotte over to her and whispered in her ear. The little girl ran to Regina's feet and removed her socks.

"O-o-oh no," cried Regina, "Not… _that!" _Charlotte pulled her mother's socks off to reveal the soft exposed pads of her feet. She started running her tiny fingers quickly up and down making Regina burst into even harder laughs.

"Uncle!" gasped the brunette in surrender.

"Sorry, Mom, can't hear ya." Said Henry running his fingers around and around her neck.

"_Uncle!"_ she gasped again.

"Nope, I don't think you're sure."

"UNCLE, UNCLE, _UNCLE!" _screamed Regina, her voice becoming hoarse with laughter. Instantly the assault stopped and the three attackers fell on top of their equally exhausted victim. They lay together on the floor panting and chuckling, kisses and soft squeezes being passed around. After a few minutes passed, the family remained in a giant Swan-Mills pile on the floor, staring off into nowhere.

"And now… my _revenge_." Hissed Regina playfully from the bottom of the pile. She flung her arms up in the air causing her three family members to jump to their feet and start running out of the room in different directions. Regina stood up, brushed her clothes off, instinctively adjusted a coaster on the coffee table and walked towards the entrance of the living room.

"Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… _THREE… TWO… ONE! _READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!" called the brunette. She walked into the foyer and jumped up the stairs with a large smile on her face as she searched and successfully found her son hiding under a bed, then she snorted as she found her wife in the closet, and lastly she found her daughter hiding in her chest of toys in her bedroom.

"You win, mom." Laughed Henry.

"You are definitely, hands down the best at this game, Regina." Said Emma kissing her wife on the cheek.

"You found all of us, mom!" squealed Charlotte as she ran to embrace her brunette mother's leg. "You won!"

"Yes. Yes I did." Regina pulled her family close and kissed each of them, who returned her kiss with brilliantly large smiles.

_Smile though your heart is aching,  
Smile even though it's breaking.  
When there are clouds in the sky,  
you'll get by._

_If you smile with your fear and sorrow,  
Smile and maybe tomorrow,  
You'll see the sun come shining through,  
For you._

_Light up your face with gladness,  
Hide every trace of sadness.  
Although a tear may be ever so near,_

_That's the time you must keep on trying.  
Smile, what's the use of crying.  
You'll find that life is still worthwhile-  
If you just smile._

_That's the time you must keep on trying,  
Smile, what's the use of crying.  
You'll find that life is still worthwhile-  
If you just smile._

_- Charlie Chaplin_


End file.
